


serendipity

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe, Chance Meetings, Childhood Friends to Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, basically they used to be friends but then college happens, betty toni & veronica friendship, delays and fateful stuff occur, excessive use of coffee shops, honestly its just soft, implied sexual content in later chapters, lots and lots of fluff, lowkey fate, lowkey pining, minimal angst, they meet in an airport, this starts 5 years after the end of high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 55,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23086030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: “Betty Cooper?”She snaps her head around at the voice, only to be met with the one and only Jughead Jones staring at her inquisitively.Betty’s shocked. She hasn’t seen Jughead since high school graduation. Five years later, she’d mainly forgotten about him, other than the occasional passing thought about her past classmates.–or, a chance meeting with someone she hasn't seen since high school leaves Betty with a stroke of serendipity.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz (background)
Comments: 184
Kudos: 197
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! welcome to my first proper chaptered fic! i've spent the past month and a half working on it and it's currently at almost 30k. it's still incomplete but don't worry, i will be uploading the chapters i have ready as regularly as possible as well as working on it daily. this fic is my baby and i love writing in this little universe, so i really hope you enjoy it.

_Fuck._ Betty is going to be late for her flight. 

It’s scheduled to leave in 40 minutes, check-in closes in 10 minutes, and she’s stuck in traffic 15 minutes away from JFK.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

She taps her phone screen, lighting it up. As if the time’s dramatically changed since 30 seconds ago. Nope. She’s definitely going to miss her flight. Welp, that’s $200 she won’t be getting back. 

With a frustrated sigh, she shoves her phone back into her bag and stares out the window from the backseat of the yellow cab she’s in. Her leg bounces up and down - an outward expression of her nerves - but even her own actions start to piss her off. Ugh, she just wants to be at the airport. Stupid New York traffic. She forgot how bad it could be, but that’s part of the reason she left. That, plus her overbearing mother was _still_ too close, so the other side of the country it was. 

And that’s where she really wishes she was right now. _Home_. Home that is no longer the small, upstate New York town of Riverdale that she grew up in. Nor is home the city of New York, where she attended college and met her best friend for life. Instead, home is Seattle. Now, an 8-hour flight from her mother, compared to the 2-to-3-hour drive when she lived in NYC. It's better this way, even if she does miss her best friend who still resides in New York state. It’s better now she gets to be her own person without her mother’s input. 

And Seattle is nice. It’s smaller than NYC, and a lot less busy. She enjoys being on the coast - and the west coast showcases some of the best sunsets she’s ever seen, so that’s a plus. Being near to the Canadian border makes for some lovely weekends away, which reminds her of her hometown, but in a way she can _enjoy_. So all in all, it’s one of the best decisions she’s made.

One of the _worst_ decisions she’s made was to agree to meet up with Veronica on the day her short trip to NYC ends, just a few hours before she’s due at the airport. 

Yeah, it was lovely to see Veronica - she hasn’t seen her for months - but on the day she’s leaving, what was she thinking? Definitely not about the traffic of this city, and definitely not about making her flight on time. _Sigh_. Not much she can do about it now. 

Approximately 2 blocks from where they were 10 minutes ago, Betty reluctantly digs her phone out, deciding she should probably message her friend who’s catsitting for her. 

_Hi, Toni_ , she types. _Stuck in traffic and gonna miss flight. Would you mind feeding Caramel tonight please? Hoping to get a flight tomorrow morning._

She hovers over the send button, wondering if she should check for later flights before sending the text. Exiting the messaging app, she opens Safari. At that exact moment, her phone buzzes with a notification.

_Delta Airlines: Flight DL 183 to SEA delayed until further notice._

Oh. _Oh_. Well, that’s usually bad, but it might actually work in Betty’s favor today. Clicking on the notification, she’s taken to her flight information page on the app. It doesn’t display any other details other than _delayed_ , so she closes it and abandons the text, deciding to wait until she has more of an idea of what’s going on.

Almost a whole agonizing hour later, her yellow taxi makes its way into JFK’s taxi rank. She pays the driver and jumps out, rushing towards the entrance to Terminal 4. Her overnight bag is heavy on her back, but she does not slow down, practically running over to the check-in desk.

“Hi. Have I missed my flight?” she pants. “It’s DL 183 - here.” She hands over her pre-printed boarding pass to the calm-looking assistant. He takes her papers, studying them for a moment, while Betty sends a quiet _thanks_ to whoever designed computerized check-in allowing the desk to be empty. 

“Sorry, Miss Cooper, your flight is delayed. Currently, it is scheduled to leave at 18:45 - around 90 minutes from now - so you have not missed it.”

She sighs in relief. “That’s brilliant-- well, it’s not, obviously, but, uh, yeah,” she babbles. “Thank you.” 

The assistant simply smiles at her and continues helping her check-in, talking her through where to go. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she _knows_ because she’s done it a hundred times before, but she figures she has some time to kill now her almost missed flight is delayed. Once he’s finished, she thanks him with an appreciative smile, deciding she no longer needs to rush around and can _actually_ enjoy the airport experience.

Now leisurely making her way around the familiar airport, she wanders through security with no problems at all, then makes her way to her favorite coffee shop at the airport situated near the supposed gate for her departure. 

It’s relatively busy in the terminal, but it’s nothing she’s not used to. She weaves her way through the lingering travelers, joining the end of the queue at the coffee shop. When she reaches the front, she orders an iced latte - overpriced but worth it. After paying, she spots an empty seat overlooking the runway, so she takes her drink and heads towards it. She plonks her bag down in front of the seat, sitting down herself with an almost audible grateful sigh from her legs. 

Surprisingly, the airport environment - usually a source of stress for most people - is a fun experience for her. She finds the worst part of it to be getting to and from the airport, especially in NYC, rather than the airport itself. Even with today’s delays, she enjoys her own company, her coffee, and the background noise the surroundings bring. It’s one of those timeless places, where it’s neither yesterday nor tomorrow, the past nor the future. It’s an experience that Betty’s grown to love over the years. 

She’s not one to get annoyed with delays either. The biggest thing she has to worry about is her cat back home, but her friend is always available to help out with just a simple text, so that doesn’t bother her. Plus, the delays today _definitely_ worked in her favor when she experienced a small lapse in her sensible traveler judgment and decided to meet up with Veronica just a few hours before her flight. With the traffic of New York City to negotiate. She should’ve known it was a stupid idea, but hey, at least she got to see her best friend again. Swings and roundabouts, she supposes. 

But now, after getting through the traffic and making it on time thanks to the delays, Betty starts to relax. For the next 30 minutes, she mindlessly scrolls on her phone, sipping her coffee, and enjoying herself. She knows her flight is due to board soon, so she keeps an ear out for the announcement.

There is one that grabs her attention, but not for what she’s expecting.

_“Flight DL 183 to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is delayed until 20:55. We are sorry--“_

Betty blocks out the rest of the message, while everyone around her groans in frustration. She understands their pain, she really does, and she used to be one of those people, longing to get to wherever they’re going. But she’s not one of them anymore. In fact, she’s kind of glad for the delay. It means she can explore the terminal again - something she used to love doing a lot when she first started traveling. She doesn’t get the chance as much these days, always running out of time with busy queues, so today makes a pleasant change. 

She stands up, picking her bag up, and begins wandering. She knows Terminal 4 quite well, but she challenges herself to find something new this time. It’s a stupid game, really, but she’s got time to waste and no one to waste it with, so she makes her own fun. 

Walking up the long terminal, she takes note of all the coffee shops and tourist shops she’s seen before. Crowds begin building up around them - many, she assumes, from her delayed flight. She dodges people, children, and small suitcases, making her way towards the gates she hasn’t been from before. It’s quieter that way, with empty seating overlooking a variety of planes. 

Betty snaps a few photos, smiling to herself as she does so, already enjoying this little adventure. She decides to take a moment to sit down while it’s empty and uploads a photo of a Delta plane to her Instagram, knowing Veronica will be quick to text her about her whereabouts because of it. 

As if on cue, her phone rings. Not the text she was expecting, but close enough.

“Hey, V,” she says when she picks up the phone.

“B? Betty? Where are you? I thought you’d be on the flight by now!” Veronica exclaims on the other end of the phone.

Betty giggles to herself, predicting this exact response. “Calm down! It’s okay.” She explains the whole situation to her, with every detail as she knows Veronica will want it. “So I’m just wandering around the terminal until the flight,” she finishes.

She can almost hear Veronica’s eye roll. “We can’t have that now. I will pay for you to stay in a first class lounge instead.”

“No, V, I’m fine, honestly.”

“Betty! Let me find you a different flight then?” Veronica sure is persistent.

“Veronica,” Betty pushes. “I really appreciate it, but it’s _fine_ , honestly.”

Veronica huffs. “Okay. Text me when you board. And again when you land.”

“Of course. Thank you, V.” 

They exchange goodbye’s and Betty hangs up with a smile on her face - her best friend’s over-reactions never fail to make her laugh. She always means well, but Betty is rarely willing to accept her offers, deciding it’s best to let things happen by themselves. And in this situation, she really doesn’t want to escape this, although she can see why Veronica might’ve thought she did.

After her phone call, Betty goes back to wandering. She walks around the corner from where she had just been sat, noting the quietness at this end. Recognizing a few of the services to her left, she skips straight past them until she reaches the part of the terminal she’s pretty sure she hasn’t been to before. 

In the far corner, there is a small coffee shop named Coffee Project. Inside, it’s painted a calming light blue, with the chairs and counter being dark wood. Only a few of the chairs sit inside of the shop, most of them spilling outside into the area of the terminal. It looks _nice_ , so Betty decides to order something, even though she’s only just finished her first coffee. She figures she might as well make the most of finding a new shop and the time she has at the airport. 

There’s no one in line and only two people in the shop’s seating, which makes for an ideal experience for Betty, so she heads in towards the counter. She eyes the baked goods on show, before deciding that _fuck it_ , she deserves it, and tagging one onto her order. 

“Hi. A small flat white and a slice of chocolate cake please,” she orders politely. 

The barista is quick to get to work on her order, taking payment and handing over the takeaway coffee cup along with a brown paper bag for the cake in only a few moments. Betty thanks her, before taking a seat just outside of the boundaries of the shop so she can see the screen with updates on her flight. 

She takes the slice of cake out of the bag, using a wooden fork she got given to take a bite. It’s _amazing_ , and she takes a moment to thank her stupid game for bringing her here. The coffee is equally as good - not entirely needed but definitely good. It’s one of the reasons she likes airports so much. They make her try new places, and it leads her to places like this. 

Her eyes rise to the screen, scanning for her own flight. She finds it with little trouble, noting that there haven’t been any further delays yet.

Sitting there for a while, she enjoys her coffee and cake as well as the atmosphere at the airport. As time passes, more people come and go around her, but still staying mostly quiet. No one bothers her, until out of the blue, someone from behind says her name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead meet. How will it go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to chapter 2! i hope you enjoy reading!

“Betty Cooper?”

She snaps her head around at the voice, only to be met with the one and only Jughead Jones staring at her inquisitively.

Betty’s shocked. She hasn’t seen Jughead since high school graduation. Five years later, she’d mainly forgotten about him, other than the occasional passing thought about her past classmates. They weren’t close at school, so the loss of his mild friendship didn’t hit her as much as it did with some others. He was pleasant enough - hung around with Archie, while she stuck with Kevin. He was quiet, always hiding behind the woolen gray beanie that she knew was the source of a lot of the bullying he suffered. She enjoyed his company, but their paths barely crossed. It’s a shame, really, because the short time they did spend together made her think they could’ve been really great friends, but alas, it was not meant to be. 

Now, though, he’s standing in front of her again. Her eyes almost can’t believe it, blinking rapidly _just_ to make sure she isn’t imagining him. 

Nope, he’s actually here. 

He hasn’t changed as much as she would’ve thought in five years, but then she supposes she hasn’t either. His outfit is one she’s sure she’s seen before - a familiar ‘S’ t-shirt, with dark jeans, suspenders hanging down, and a plaid shirt on his back. The beanie he used to wear constantly no longer hides his hair, and it gives him almost an air of confidence he lacked in high school. It’s a good look, she thinks, _he_ looks good. Older, more mature, like he’s finally grown into himself. 

It’s at that moment that she realizes that she has been staring at him without saying a word for probably too long. 

She clears her throat. “Jughead. Hi.”

His face immediately softens. “Of all the places, eh?”

“Yeah,” she smiles. It’s awkward, it’s definitely awkward. It would be, of course, for two people who haven’t seen each other in five years, barely friends before that. But part of her is filled with something - something familiar, something pleasant - when she looks at him. 

“How’s it going? It’s been a while,” he says, leaning against the back of a spare chair on a different table. 

“Oh! Sit down, come and sit with me.” She gestures to a chair next to her, which he sits on, smiling politely at her in the process. “Things are… good, yeah,” she answers hesitantly. His question isn’t one she gets asked much, so he caught her off guard. Questions like that make her second-guess her whole life, and she ends up asking herself whether her answer is fully truthful or not. 

He sips a drink she didn’t notice he had. “That’s good to hear, Betty.”

“How are- how are things for you?”

“Not too bad, if I’m being honest.” 

She smiles in reply, wishing for the conversation to be over, then cursing herself for thinking that. Jughead was nice. Jughead _is_ nice. He is being nice enough to her by even attempting to converse with her. And the least she can do is try back. 

“What brings you to New York, then?” she asks. “Or should I say, brought - unless you’re flying to Newark now.”

That earns her a small chuckle, lifting some of the awkwardness. “I’ve just been back to Riverdale, actually. Thought I’d visit the city while in the area, and it’s easier to fly home from here.”

“Fair enough,” she shrugs, realizing she doesn’t actually know where _home_ is for Jughead. “I used to live here, but I kind of hate it now.”

“I can understand that. You went to NYU right?” He watches her intently, like he’s genuinely interested in her answers. It’s both captivating and unnerving. 

“Yeah, that’s right. Graduated last year, tried to stick it out in New York, but it turns out even a college degree doesn’t get you a job in the Big Apple. Pair that with not particularly liking the city anymore plus your overbearing mother still being far too close and you got yourself the recipe for needing to leave.” She rolls her eyes, shaking her head at the thought of her time in NYC. She feels a pang of disappointment in herself, but then Jughead chuckles at her story, making her forget it. 

“You tried, and that’s the important bit. Congrats on graduating, though,” he says, beaming at her. 

She smiles back, the softness of his voice ringing in her ears. In all the time she knew and interacted with Jughead, he’d always been sardonic in the few times he did speak. She’d never heard him use this tone before, but she thinks that maybe that’s one of the ways he’s grown up in the past five years. She also notes how smiley he is. Maybe that’s what leaving Riverdale did for him. If so, she’s immensely glad, and can’t help but notice how nice his smile is. 

“Did you get to Yale in the end? I remember Archie saying there was a lot of debate on the subject,” she asks after a moment of silence. She picks up her almost-cold coffee that she forgot about, taking a gulp while his eyes never leave hers. His confidence is something she’s finding difficult to get used to. 

“I did, surprisingly. A year later though, so I only graduated a few months ago. This past week has been the first time I’ve visited Riverdale since I left.” His face is still soft but gives no indication of how he feels about that. 

If Betty remembers rightly, his home life was never great, so she’s careful with what she says next, not wanting to upset him at all. “Wow, congratulations.” She takes another sip of her drink. “Honestly, Riverdale isn’t what we all thought. I don’t blame you for not going back until now.” 

He portrays no evidence of being upset by that, instead shaking his head with a smile. “It really wasn’t. I’m glad to be out of there.”

She doesn’t get a chance to reply as a loud series of beeps signals an announcement. Thinking it might be about her flight, she lifts her hand up to him, indicating for him to wait while she listens. 

_“Flight DL 183…”_ Yes, that’s her flight again. _“...delayed until 22:00…”_ That’s over two hours away!

Right. Now, this is getting kind of annoying. The first delay worked in her favor, the second allowed her to explore, but three times? She just wants to go home. She’ll have to send that text to Toni now, too. 

She drops her hand with a sigh. “Sorry. That’s my flight. I need to text my friend, so hold on a minute.” She picks up her bag, gets her phone out and goes to her text thread with Toni. Then Jughead interrupts her, so she puts her phone down on the table, forgetting to lock it. 

“Wait…” he hesitates, sounding uncertain for the first time since they began talking. “That’s my flight too.”

“Really?” she grins. “Wait-” She pauses, piecing it all together. “Do you _live_ in Seattle?” 

“Yeah. I moved there straight after college. My sister is just up in Vancouver so it’s close enough to her.” He smiles, probably at the thought of his little sister. 

“Oh! Well, I do too,” she hums. _Wow_. Who knew that two delays and some time to explore JFK airport would lead her to Jughead Jones waiting for the same flight as her? Some might say it’s fate...

“Oh, nice! I really love it there.” He shifts around in his seat, and she wonders if he wants to leave.

“Hey, um, just because we’re on the same flight, that doesn’t mean you have to stay with me. I’m sure you have more important things to be doing.” She laughs nervously, lifting her hand to fiddle with the end of the ponytail that isn’t there anymore. Instead, she drops her hand to the back of her neck, rubbing it slightly as she awaits his reply. 

“No! No, I want to stay, Betty, I just… This is kind of awkward,” he admits, almost retreating back to the Jughead she remembers from high school. “I’m really hungry.”

She laughs, a proper, loud laugh. “Sorry!” she giggles when he gives her a look. “It’s just, you haven’t changed too much then?”

“Afraid not, Cooper.”

She rolls her eyes, still giggling slightly. “Go on then, go get your food before you start to fade away.”

With that, he jumps up with a grin and strides off in the general direction of some restaurants. Betty takes the time while Jughead is gone to process what is happening. So, someone from her home town is here waiting for a flight to her now-home city. And it turns out that someone is very nice and very handsome. What are the chances? With her usual luck, little to none. But it seems like someone is on her side today. 

Despite that, though, it really is good to see Jughead again. She doesn’t doubt that he’ll come back and sit with her until their flight finally leaves, that they’ll talk some more, and maybe she’ll ask him what she does in Seattle and if he still talks to Archie. She’s sure it’ll be enjoyable, a good way to pass the time. What she’s not so sure about is what’ll happen after. Seeing him, talking to him, something has clicked, _they’ve_ clicked, in such a short amount of time. She thinks it’ll be a shame to give it all up, especially now she knows he lives in the same city again. 

So she chooses to be hopeful, hopeful that they’ll stay in contact when they’re both back home. Hell, she might even ask for his number. That way, she won’t have to trawl social media for him. 

In the meantime, she supposes she better contact Toni, asking her to feed Caramel again this evening. She sends a quick text, not expecting anything other than a simple _ok_ in reply, so she pockets her phone, looking around the airport in amazement at how busy it had gotten. 

Less than a minute later, she hears her phone ringing. She digs it out of her pocket, surprised when the display says Toni.

“Toni?” she asks, confused, as she swipes to accept the call.

“Hey, Cooper. What’s going on with your flight?” Toni replies, sounding casual.

“Just delays - wait, why did you ring?”

Toni laughs. “Damn, am I that predictable? Maybe I just wanted to talk to my favorite blonde.”

Betty shakes her head, laughing, forgetting that Toni can’t see her. “C’mon now, I know you. What’s going on?”

“Well, I’ve just received a text from someone you might know…”

“What?” 

“Jughead.”

Wait _, what?_ How would Toni know Jughead? She’s from Seattle, he’s from Riverdale. She’s pretty sure she hasn’t mentioned him before. Nope, Betty doesn’t understand. “Jughead?” she says, puzzled.

“Yeah. He told me that he bumped into you at the airport. I didn’t know you two knew each other, but apparently I mentioned you once or twice and he worked out that we’re friends.”

“We went to school together, but how do _you_ know him?” She fiddles with her cup as she waits for an answer. 

“Oh, right. He’s the new guy at work. Only started a few weeks ago, but he seems nice. He’s working on that gang piece with me.”

 _Wow_. Okay. That’s a lot. So not only does Jughead now live in Seattle, he works with one of Betty’s closest friends in the city. _Weird_. And why did he text Toni about it? 

“That’s… cool, I guess. Why did he text you about me though?” Her voice is laced with confusion, her brain whirling with thoughts of trying to piece this strange situation together. 

“He said he just worked out our connection.” There’s almost a visible shrug in Toni’s voice, obviously not as phased by this as Betty is. 

Oh! He must’ve seen the name on Betty’s phone when she put it on the table. It’s starting to make sense now. At that realization, she begins to relax again.

“Look, Cooper, I gotta go now. I’ve got another date with Cheryl, but don’t worry, I’ll feed Caramel on the way,” Toni says, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Thanks, Toni. Enjoy your date.”

“And you enjoy Jughead. Later!” 

At that, Toni hangs up, leaving Betty sat in shock at the implications in her closing words. She shakes it off, trying to ignore her thoughts of Jughead’s good looks from earlier. He may be enjoyable to look at, but she barely knows anything about him. She does, however, have time to kill... _This could be fun_ , she thinks.

Shortly after her conversation with Toni, Jughead walks back towards her holding a paper bag and two coffee cups. She smiles and waves at him, and he grins back, with no free hand to wave too. She giggles to herself, watching him stride over.

“Hey, Betty,” he says, dumping his armful of things onto the table. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted anything, so I got black coffee, creamer, and sugar. And donuts.”

 _God, he’s cute_ , she thinks involuntarily, as she sends him a heartfelt smile. And even though she shouldn't have a third coffee, she accepts it gratefully. “Thank you, Jug,” she replies, his common nickname at school just slipping out. Skirting over it, she fiddles with the coffee cup he slid in her direction. 

Opening the paper bag, he empties the contents onto the table, allowing for her to pick up extras for her coffee. She also takes a donut, as he picks up a foil-covered package, which she assumes is a burger. Watching as he unwraps it, she laughs quietly when she’s _right_.

“I told you I haven’t changed,” he mumbles through a mouthful of burger, eyeing her. “Not as good as Pop’s though.”

“God, I haven’t had Pop’s in so long. The only good thing about that goddamn town, I swear.”

He chuckles. “You are not wrong there, Betty.”

She giggles in reply, deciding to allow him to finish eating - or should she say inhaling - his food. In the meantime, she stirs her coffee, allowing herself to get distracted by the mixing of the colors rather than the presence of Jughead. 

A few moments later, the food that scattered the table is now just wrappers and foil, bar from their two coffee cups. His ability to eat like that reminds her of the times in Pop’s where she’d be sitting with Kevin drinking milkshakes and gossiping and Jughead would be there sat in a dark corner, alone, with a table full of food. It’d be gone in no longer than five minutes, amazing her every time. But she’d also feel a pang of sadness that he was sat on his own. She never made an effort to change that for him, though, but at least she’s here now. 

“So, Toni rang while you were getting food…” she mentions, watching him closely to gauge his reaction.

“Oh God,” he groans, throwing his head back. “What did she say?”

 _Interesting_ , Betty thought. “Just that you must’ve worked out that we’re friends.”

He breathes out what sounds like a sigh of relief. “Uh, yeah.” He sounds _nervous_ , usual air of confidence slipping. “I saw her name on your phone when you…” he trails off. 

Betty shakes her head, smirking. She raises her eyebrow, taking a sip of coffee. “Why are you sounding so nervous, Jughead?” she teases.

Coughing, he sounds like he’s surprised by her tone. “I just hope she didn’t tell you what that text said,” he mumbles. 

Oh, now she definitely has to know. “Nope, but I’m sure if I just…” She gets her phone out of her pocket. “...text her again, she’ll tell me.”

“No, please,” he whines, half-heartedly attempting to take her phone from her. He fails, and she pretends to type out a message to Toni.

“Okay, okay, I won’t.” She pauses. “...yet.”

He’s laughing now, and she is too, attracting the attention of some of the travelers around them. He looks around them, then back at her, shrugging his shoulders. “Whoops,” he mouths to her through giggles.

Moments later, when their laughing subsides, she decides to change the direction of their conversation slightly. “You know, Jug, I wish we were better friends in high school.”

He frowns slightly. “Yeah, me too. But, we just ran in different circles. It’s just the way things were.”

“We’re here now, I guess,” she says, unsure of herself.

“Fate, eh?” he grins. 

“Maybe so.”

He takes a sip of his coffee, finishing it off. “Now that I’m less hungry, and we still have at least an hour and a half to kill, how do you usually waste time at an airport?”

And that’s how she ends up roaming around Terminal 4 with Jughead Jones. 

For some reason, he actually thinks her stupid little game sounds _fun_. He doesn’t know the airport as well as she does, so she decides to find somewhere he hasn’t been before instead. They chat as they go, and she points out different features of the terminal, telling him stories from the many times she’s been here before. It’s so familiar, like they’ve been friends forever. No one around them would realize that they haven’t spoken in 5 years until today. 

When they pass McDonald’s, Betty proceeds to tell him about the time her mother had insisted they meet in NYC while she was there visiting Veronica. Alice had dropped her off at the airport for her flight home, but not before yelling at her in the car about her poor life choices and how she shouldn’t have moved to Seattle. Betty managed to make it through security before she couldn’t hold the tears in anymore. McDonald’s was the nearest place to sit, and luckily, it was quiet so she could cry without too many weird looks. 

Jughead makes a comment about Alice Cooper, one that Betty almost shoots down, before remembering that she doesn’t need to anymore. Not anymore and definitely not with Jughead. So she doesn’t. She allows herself to laugh and agree with him, and it feels _good_. Perhaps more importantly, though, it feels good to talk to Jughead.

They continue on, with her telling him stories about places both in and outside of the airport. He listens intently, laughing with her and telling his own stories about the city. She loves hearing his stories, deciding that her stupid game is so much better when he’s here with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! stay tuned for chapter 3 - i think it'll be here early next week, so not too long to wait. i am thinking of doing 2 uploads a week for now while i finish writing it, so keep an eye out for them. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this one. as always, kudos and comments make my day. thank you!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead spend some more time together before boarding their flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 3! i really like this chapter and i hope you do too. read on, everyone!

Almost an hour later, Jughead decides that he’s hungry. Again.

“Jughead, we ate, like, an hour ago, you cannot possibly be hungry,” Betty insists, stopping in her tracks. He doesn’t notice, so she reaches out and tugs on his arm. He spins around, only to see Betty giggling at him. 

“You wound me, Cooper.” He clutches his chest in faux pain. “I’m _always_ hungry.”

She rolls her eyes. “C’mon then, where do you want to eat this time?”

Jughead decides he wants to go to McDonald’s. “Let’s make some better memories there,” he whispers to her when she gives him a confused look. 

At that, she grins harder than she has in a while. He grins back with equal enthusiasm, grabbing her hand and practically dragging her towards the restaurant they passed a little while ago. 

When they arrive, Jughead lets go of Betty’s hand, much to her disappointment. He stops at one of their ordering screens and tells Betty to input her order. She does, choosing a small fries and soda. She seconds guesses _another_ drink, but gets it anyway. 

As she goes to press pay, his hand stops hers. 

“It’s on me,” he swallows, seeming somewhat nervous. “To say thank you for entertaining me today.” 

“Well,” she swallows thickly, voice gentle. “Thank you.” Unable to hide her sheepish smile, she watches as he inputs his own order, picking a Big Mac meal. He then pays for them both, telling Betty to find somewhere to sit while he picks up their food. It’s still relatively quiet, so she has a range of tables to choose from. 

After only a small amount of contemplation, she sits in a booth much like the ones back in Pop’s in Riverdale, only less comfortable. It’s in the corner of the room, yet still gives her a good view of the runway and terminal as well as Jughead waiting at the counter. 

For just a moment, she’s staring into the distance and she forgets where she is. She forgets that she’s at JFK airport, not Riverdale. She forgets that she’s in McDonald’s, not Pop’s. And she forgets that she’s _with_ Jughead, not just watching on. It fills her with dread, but also a strange kind of nostalgia. As much as she hates her hometown, she wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for it. 

_In more ways than one_ , she thinks as she notices Jughead walking over to here, struggling to balance the tray of food. He almost drops it, but luckily he manages to catch and edge it towards the table. Betty giggles, grabbing it and pulling it towards her while Jughead sits down with a smile on his face. 

“Never thought you were a clumsy one,” Betty teases, ripping open the straw packet and shoving it in the lid of her drink. 

He rolls his eyes, pushing the smaller fry box towards her. “Usually not,” he says, shoving a handful of his own fries in his mouth. 

She does the same, muttering, “Something making you nervous, eh?” 

“Maybe.” 

He blushes slightly, she notices. She tries not to think too much about it, telling herself it’s the impending flight, definitely not _her_ like she wants it to be.

They sit in silence, Jughead too preoccupied with eating and avoiding her gaze. It’s not necessarily awkward or uncomfortable, but Betty can’t help but notice that the atmosphere around them has shifted slightly. Back in Riverdale, she would’ve shied away from mentioning this to him, but Seattle Betty is better at confrontation. Currently somewhere between the two, she decides to channel the one she _wants_ to be - Seattle Betty - and so mentions her concerns. 

“Hey, uh,” she starts, twirling the straw of her drink. It makes an annoying screeching sound, so she stops once he looks up at her. “Is everything okay? You’ve gone a bit… quiet.”

He takes the final bite of his burger while she’s talking, so there’s a slight delay in his answer. “Sorry,” he swallows. “Yeah, I’m fine. Probably just hungry.”

She giggles, feeling them slip back into how it was before already. That shows her what a few words can do.

He laughs too. “Not long ‘til we board, huh?” 

“Nope. It’ll be good to get home.” She shifts around, taking a sip of her drink. She feels like that’s all she’s been doing around Jughead. Maybe it’s a side effect of spending time with someone from her past. She finds herself wondering if he’s noticed too. 

“And you’ll finally be getting rid of me,” he chuckles lightly.

She lets out a small sigh. “About that… Can I- Would you be up for staying in contact?” He gives her a confused look, so she rushes to amend herself. “I mean, it’s up to you. I know we weren’t close at school but it’s been nice talking agai-”

“Betty,” he interrupts. “Is this your way of asking for my number?” He smirks at her, and all the buildup of tension inside her fades away.

“Maybe,” she says, mirroring him from earlier.

“You know, I think that can be arranged.” 

She breathes a sigh of relief, smiling at him as she opens up a new contact form on her phone and slides it in his direction. He picks it up, inputting his number and sliding it back. Looking down at what he’s written, she burrows her eyebrows, looking up at him with a confused half-smile. 

“Forsythe?” she questions. 

He grins. “Uh huh. The truth is out.” 

“What?” she giggles as she sends him a quick text so he has her number too.

“You didn’t really think my birth name was Jughead, did you?” He tilts his head to the side slightly as he speaks.

Betty blinks in surprise. “I mean… I guess I never thought about it. Forsythe Jones, huh?”

“Oh, Betty,” he chuckles. “Not quite.”

“You going to tell me or…?”

He shakes his head, still smiling. “That’s classified information. You don’t get it that easily.”

She makes a sound of faux hurt, trying to persuade him with her signature puppy dog eyes and pout, but it fails miserably. 

“You may be cute but that face isn’t getting you anywhere this time,” he affirms.

Frowning at him light-heartedly, she doesn’t reply, realizing that she isn’t going to succeed. On the other hand, though, her brain is filling with thoughts of the words Jughead just said to her. _You may be cute_. 

_Holy shit, Jughead Jones thinks I’m cute_. 

She glances over at him and he’s still grinning at her. _Fuck,_ she thinks, _He really is cute too._

Where did this come from, though? Betty’s known Jughead for years, albeit knowing in a loose sense, and never had any of these thoughts before. But then again, why would she? They rarely crossed paths, and even then, he’d be with Archie and her head was unfortunately turned by him instead. She decides to try and ignore that for now, choosing to spend what little time they have before they board talking to Jughead. 

(A small part of her wishes for another delay, but it doesn’t come.)

“Hey, uh, should we start making our way to the gate now?” she asks, unsure of what else to say.

“Yeah, sure.” He stands up, gathering their trash and shoving it in the nearest bin. “Lead the way?” 

Nodding, she smiles at him and stands up herself. She double-checks that they have everything from their booth, before walking out of the restaurant and towards gate B48. Jughead walks next to her, their hands brushing accidentally every once in a while. 

After a minute or so of walking through the busier part of the airport, Betty speaks. “Do you still talk to Archie?”

“Yeah,” he says softly, affection filling his voice. “He lives in Chicago now with his mom, so I don’t see him that often.”

“Growing up is sad in a way. Everyone moves on and away, and nothing will ever be that simple again.” She wonders where that sad thought came from, but more so, she wonders why she voiced it to Jughead. Luckily, they’re still walking so she doesn’t have to see his reaction to her words.

Instead, she feels a hand reach out and gently rub her shoulder. “I take it that you don’t talk to anyone from school?”

He drops his hand when she turns to look at him, stopping in her tracks. “No. You’re the first person from high school that I’ve seen since the day I left.”

“Screw ‘em all,” he says with a shrug. “You deserve better.”

She smiles, wondering when Jughead started being able to make her smile so easily. “I have you now, eh?” 

“Definitely,” he replies, tugging on her arm to get her walking again. 

They spend the rest of the short walk in silence. By the time they reach the gate, fellow passengers have already begun queuing up to board the plane. Jughead mumbles something about sitting down, so she excuses herself to the bathroom. When she returns, she finds Jughead slouched in a seat by the queue, boarding pass and ID in hand. She sits next to him, fishing her own passes out of her bag.

“Ready to queue?” he asks her. 

A wave of sadness hits her. She’s spent almost 3 hours with Jughead, but it feels like they’ve been the best of friends for years. She’s really enjoyed his company, and even with promises to stay in contact back in Seattle, she’s scared that he won’t follow it up, just like everyone else in her life has done. She doesn’t want their time to end yet, but she supposes she doesn’t really have a choice.

Instead of voicing her concerns, she just nods, following him to the end of the line. 

“I’ve really enjoyed today, Jughead,” she whispers after a moment.

He glances over at her. “Me too, Betty.”

“I hope to see you again?” The hand holding her boarding pass moves up to adjust her bag strap, while the other holds tightly onto her phone. 

“Wait-” Jughead reaches out to the hand on her bag strap, stopping it and staring at the piece of paper it holds. “Is that- are you seat 23A?”

She looks at the paper too. “Oh, yeah, looks like it.”

Grinning, he shoves his crumbled pass towards her. “Look, I’m 23B. You aren’t getting rid of me just yet.”

She beams, feeling relief wash over her. Now she doesn’t have to worry about what stranger will be sitting next to her _and_ she gets to spend more time with Jughead. “What are the chances?” 

“I told you, Cooper,” he smirks. “It’s fate.”

She rolls her eyes. “Here I was thinking that Jughead - or should I say, Forsythe - Jones was cynical.” 

They move a few steps forward. “Oh, don’t worry, I am.”

That leaves Betty speechless. She doesn’t know how to react to his confidence, real or not. She looks over at him, and of course, he’s grinning at her. He does that a lot, she’s noticed. Not that she’s complaining, he has a very nice smile after all. 

Neither of them gets a chance to say anything else as suddenly, they’re next in line. They go through the usual last-minute checks before finally boarding the plane. The stewardess gives them directions to their seat, and Betty notes that she seems to assume they’re together. It’s something that makes Betty blush, but she doesn’t bother to correct her, following Jughead down the aisle to their seats. 

Sliding into her seat by the window, she takes a moment to text both Veronica and Toni updates about her situation while Jughead attempts to shove his bag in the overhead compartment. 

A simple _just boarded_ earns her a series of heart and plane emojis from Veronica and a series of smirk faces from Toni. She laughs to herself, turning her phone onto airplane mode as Jughead takes his seat next to her.

“What could’ve possibly possessed you to book a middle seat?” she wonders, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Honestly, I forgot to book a seat, so it’s random I guess,” he shrugs. “What did I tell you about fate?”

An expected grin spreads across her face. At this point, it’s beyond her control. She will never be immune to the charm of Jughead Jones now. 

The next twenty minutes consist of waiting for everyone else to finish boarding and waiting for the crew to prepare for takeoff. Much to Betty’s surprise (and delight), no one is sitting in seat 23C, leaving her and Jughead with a row to themselves. They continue chatting like old friends during takeoff and for the first hour of the flight. It’s so easy to talk to Jughead, easier than it’s ever been with anyone else. Betty knows she could talk to him forever, and she hopes she gets the chance to occupy just a fraction of his time when they’re living their usual lives in Seattle. 

Around two hours into the flight, Betty feels herself getting sleepier and sleepier. Although the timelessness of the airport transfers into the airplane, it does not transfer into her brain, meaning it _feels_ like it’s about midnight. She wants to continue talking to Jughead - they still have so much to talk about - but he notices her tiredness. 

“Get some sleep,” he whispers, laying his in-flight blanket over her.

That’s the last thing she remembers, soon drifting off to sleep with the continuous humming noise of the plane lulling her to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what did you think? talk about fate, huh? 
> 
> thank you for reading! thank you for any kudos and comments as always - they are much appreciated. 
> 
> stay tuned for chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead get to know each other on the rest of their flight. And after landing in Seattle, the early hours stir some emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! this is chapter 4 - an insight into the lives of betty and jughead and some interesting developments occur. i hope this chapter gives you a small about of satisfaction but you *may* have to wait a little longer for some further developments. 
> 
> without further ado, enjoy!

Betty wakes up suddenly an hour later. The plane must’ve hit some turbulence so the shaking wakes her up. Her head is on Jughead’s shoulder and a glance up at him shows her that he’s also just woken up. His hair is all ruffled and he looks adorably sleepy. She allows her brain to wander for a moment, thinking about waking up with him in different circumstances. 

“Morning,” she mumbles, blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear her vision of sleep.

“I suppose you’re not wrong there,” Jughead giggles sleepily, showing her his phone, displaying 1:24 am. 

“Ugh, too early.” She buries her head in his chest, sleepiness blurring her rational thought process. 

He just laughs at her, while she enjoys their closeness. She wants to savor the moment while she can, but as she wakes up more, she realizes that it’s probably a bit weird for her to be snuggling into his like this. Shifting around, she manages to drag herself away from him and compose herself. 

“Sorry,” she mutters.

He sends her a small smile and a shrug. “You should go back to sleep. We’ve still got 3 hours left.”

She shakes her head reassuringly, stretching as much as she can on a plane.

“Okay then. Let’s talk. Tell me what I need to know about Betty Cooper.”

She notes how attentively he is looking at her, waiting for her to answer. He seems to be genuinely interested in her and it throws her off course a bit, stopping her in her tracks.

“Uh…” He nervously laughs. “Only if you want to, I mean. If not, I’ll just… Read my book.” He fiddles with a strand of fallen hair, reminding Betty of the piece that used to fall out of the confines of his beanie. 

“No! No, I want to talk.” She feels bad for making him doubt his words so quickly, so she attempts to fix that. “What do you want to know?”

He smiles in relief, dropping his hand from his hair. “Uh, well, for starters, what do you do in Seattle?” 

_That’s an easy one,_ she thinks gratefully. “I’m a journalist. That’s how I met Toni, actually. When I first moved to Seattle, I worked with her as an intern at where you now work.” She grins, already predicting what strangely un-Jughead thing he’s going to reply with. 

“Some might call it a fateful coincidence, huh?” he smirks. 

She laughs. _Of course,_ he was going to answer like that. “What’s with you and fate? That’s not how I remember you!”

He winks at her, actually _winks_ at her. She can’t quite believe it, her mouth stuck open slightly in shock. 

“Anyway,” she laughs off. “What do you actually do with Toni?”

“I’m her assistant until the company deems me good enough to be a ‘proper’ journalist.” He sends her a look, one that she suspects means he isn’t too happy about his current setup.

“So, I guess you have all the responsibility of a journalist only with less pay and no name on your articles?” she says, trying to sound light-hearted. “Oh, to be a graduate journalist again.”

He chuckles at that. “Pretty much. It’s better than nothing, though. Plus, Toni’s nice.”

“I’m glad you think so. She was my only friend in the city at the start - definitely made life a lot easier.” 

They chat for a while about their respective jobs and mutual friend. Betty learns a bit about the article on gangs he and Toni are working on together. He mentions the Serpents - their hometown’s gang - and memories of his history with them flash up in her brain. She can’t remember ever knowing the whole truth, only what gossip Kevin could get his hands on, but she didn’t ask Jughead about it. This isn’t the time or the place, and besides, it’s none of her business.

Instead, she tells him about the article she’s currently working on. It’s about a cult that may be looking to set up in the area. She’s been tracking their activity for some time, looking for evidence of the rumored suspicious activity that takes place within the walls, but so far, no luck. She explains as much, and he listens with such genuine interest that she hasn’t gotten in years. It makes her immensely happy for their supposed fateful meeting.

The pair chat about their lives in Seattle as if they’re old friends. Betty notes that she’s never found it as easy to get along with anyone as she has with Jughead. They clicked the moment he awkwardly said her name in the coffee shop. Something just felt _right_. 

Betty pushes such thoughts out of her head, deciding to at least try and maintain some kind of composure for the remaining 2 hours of the flight. 

“Do you miss Riverdale at all?” he asks quietly, opening a bag of pretzels and silently offering them to her while she contemplates his question.

She takes a handful, shoving a few in her mouth to delay having to answer him. Even though she’s not saying anything, he watches her like she hung the moon.

“I’m sorry,” he adds. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, no, I just- I’m not sure of the answer.” 

He smiles gently, not pushing her for an answer at all, just eating pretzels and giving her time. 

She finishes her own handful and sighs. “I don’t know, Jughead. Sometimes I think I do, but things that happened there… They destroyed my life.” She’s referring to her father’s time as the town’s serial killer, which she’s sure he knows about, but she’s also referring to the heartache that came with being the daughter of the Black Hood - something he wouldn’t realize. 

“You mean with your father?” _That’s a risky question,_ she thinks, and she can hear that he knows it in his voice. Usually, she hates people asking about him, but with Jughead, with his sincerity, it feels different. And so it makes her answer differently. “Yeah,” she whispers. “Even after he was put in prison, he still managed to ruin my life.”

Jughead’s hand moves to rest lightly on top of hers. It seems like a comforting gesture, something other than the words he can’t find. His eyes are watery when she looks up at them, never leaving hers. 

“Apparently the Cooper name is tainted. Who’d have thought it?” She lets out a hollow laugh.

“Betty, I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through back then, but you know what? You made it out the other side. You’re here down to your strength and determination.” His voice cracks slightly as he speaks, and he sounds as if he’s going to cry. 

She isn’t sure she’s ever had someone say something so genuine to her before. After everything she’s been through, after realizing she hasn’t properly dealt with it all, he says the words she needs to hear. 

And of course, it had to be on an airplane at 35,000 feet, where she feels mildly awkward about the tears that fall. 

(Regardless, his words mean more to her than he’ll ever know.)

“Jug… Thank you.” 

He just shrugs and smiles softly at her, giving her hand one final squeeze before he returns it to his own lap. She feels the loss much more than she’d like to admit, but his words stick in her head. 

After a moment, Betty swallows before speaking again. “Do you? Do you miss it?”

“No. I don’t have many good memories of it, to be honest. Gangs, parents, school. I’m glad I’m away from it all.” He takes another handful of pretzels from the bag as if to signal that that’s all he wants to say about that. 

Of course, Betty respects that, but she can’t help but wonder what actually went down between him and the Serpents. If it made him hate the town as much as it sounds like, she thinks it must’ve been bad. 

“You okay there?” he asks.

Her eyes snap to his. “Yes, yeah, sorry, just lost in thought.” She clears her throat and glances out the window. “How long have we got left now?”

“Uh…” He taps around on his screen in front of him, nudging her with his elbow when he reaches the right page. “1 hour 34, apparently.”

“Bet you’ll be glad to get home.” 

“Yeah. I mean, anywhere is better than Riverdale, right?” 

She laughs because it’s true. “It’ll be weird to get back to reality, though.” An _I’ll miss you_ sits on the tip of her tongue until she realizes that she probably shouldn’t feel that way about someone she’s only spent a handful of hours with. 

“I know, but at least you’ll be getting rid of me.” It comes out as a joke, but it seems like it holds more weight than it should.

“Don’t say that,” she says. 

He sends her one of his signature wry smiles and pokes her in the leg with a small laugh. 

“Without sounding too… forward,” she starts. “Would you be up for meeting up again? Like, for a coffee or something.”

“Definitely,” he grins, face almost instantly lighting up. “I’ve got another few days off work if you’re around.”

Betty feels elated, relieved, glad. “Yeah, yeah that’d be great,” she says, trying to hide her grin.

They spend the next half an hour forming a plan, deciding on meeting in two days’ time at a coffee shop between their two apartments. They keep getting sidetracked, sharing stories from different locations in the city, so it takes them a while to fully form the plan. But eventually, they do. And it’s nice, it’s nice to have a plan to see him again. It minimizes the risk of never seeing him - something she was overly worried about - so she’s happy about it. 

The remainder of the flight is relatively uneventful. Even though both of them are extremely tired, they manage to fill the time with random chatter. They end up discussing movies, first. Betty learns that Jughead hates horror films, much to her surprise, and instead is a fan of classics. She tells him that she’s a sucker for a rom-com and he pretends to be offended that she’d watch such a thing. Within minutes, she’s convinced him to watch _Notting Hill_ with her, so she thinks he might not have been entirely truthful there.

They, then, move on to talking about books. When she mentions that Toni Morrison’s _Beloved_ is her favorite book, she is shocked because he’s actually read it. He tells her that it’s a good choice, but he couldn’t possibly have a favorite book when there are so many that he has yet to read. She laughs at that, thinking how typical of him that is.

As the plane begins to make its descent, their conversation ends up on the topic of crime documentaries. It’s something they both enjoy a lot of, especially as it links to their jobs. As it turns out, they have a similar _to watch_ list, so end up adding to their coffee shop plans to include starting to watch _The Confession Killer_ together.

(The promise of these joint plans for the future makes Betty’s heart flutter in a way she wasn’t expecting.)

Before they know it, their over 3-hour delayed flight is finally coming to land in a mostly-asleep Seattle. Jughead’s hand rests on Betty’s as a sign of comfort. She thinks it’s more for him than it is her but she appreciates it regardless. 

When they land, it’s almost 2 am in Seattle. The airport is quiet, so they quickly make it through security and to bag collection. As usual, Betty does not have a suitcase to wait for as she likes to get out of the airport as quick as possible, but Jughead does, so instead of speeding out and getting into her car left in the airport’s parking lot, finally driving home, she waits with him. 

Their flight is one of the only ones waiting for luggage, so they aren’t there long. After Jughead collects his bag, he leads them to the lone open coffee shop in the arrivals lounge. He insists he buys her another coffee after telling her that she deserves it for spending so much time with him, and as much as she argues, he doesn’t give in. This time, she gets a black coffee, putting two sugars in it, knowing she’ll need the energy if she wants to get through the day. Jughead gets the same plus a bag of chips because of course he does - she shouldn’t have expected anything less. 

They sit in the deserted coffee shop and, much to Betty’s surprise, she doesn’t mind not going straight home. She sips her drink and watches him shift around awkwardly like there’s something on his mind. She asks him as much.

“Jughead? You okay?”

He stops fidgeting almost immediately. “Yeah, I-” He sighs. “This has been great, Betty.”

“It has,” she agrees, smiling. 

“I don’t really want it to end if I’m being honest.” He sends a small yet sad smile in her direction, uncharacteristically avoiding her eyes. 

She moves her hand to rest atop his, something that seems almost familiar between them now. “Me neither,” she admits in a small voice. 

His smile turns from a soft, sad one to a toothy grin filled with genuine happiness. He doesn’t move nor say anything in reply, the pair simply smiling at each other, subconsciously forming a connection neither ever imagined. 

Betty basks in their moment for a while, allowing the quiet of the surroundings and the timeless atmosphere of the airport to overtake her emotions. She thinks he feels it too, though - whatever _it_ may be - but perhaps it’s just her.

She doesn’t get long enough to comprehend the situation as a large group of people enter the area where the coffee shop is. She decides that it must be another flight arriving, but wishes it could’ve waited just a few more minutes to interrupt her and Jughead. All she wanted is a little longer to work out if it’s real or just a product of their environment. But of course, she has no such luck. 

At the sound of other people, Jughead snatches his hand from hers, sending her an apologetic look, while Betty tries not to think too much about it.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and then louder: “I, uh, I should probably start heading home.” He sounds nervous, like he’s unsure of himself. It makes her think that his confidence isn’t as real as she first thought, that maybe it’s more of a front that he’s letting slip due to the early hours. 

“Yeah,” she agrees, making no effort to move. “My car is here, so I can drop you home if you’d like?”

He looks slightly taken aback by her offer. “Oh, no, no, I’ll just- I can get a taxi.” 

She does move this time, standing up and pushing her chair in. “It’s no trouble. Come on.”

Standing up too, he laughs, shaking his head. “There’s no point in arguing with you, is there?”

“Nope.”

And so he doesn’t. She leads the way to the parking lot she’s used more times than she cares to remember, walking over to her car with him trailing behind. She unlocks it, opening the trunk and putting his suitcase in before he has a chance to react. 

“Thanks,” he mumbles as he moves to sit in the passenger seat. 

Betty tosses her own bag into the trunk, closing it and climbing into the drivers’ side. She sinks into the seat with an _ahh_ that makes Jughead giggle next to her. 

“Right,” she says abruptly. “Can you give me directions or do I need to use Google Maps?”

That’s how she finds herself being badly directed to Jughead‘s apartment building in the middle of the night. Luckily for her, the roads are quiet, so she can mess up because of Jughead’s poor navigation skills and not endanger anyone but her own sanity. 

On the fourth time driving down the same road, she pulls over. 

“Hey! What are you doing?’ Jughead exclaims, giggling. 

She’s giggling, too, as she pulls her phone out of her pocket, inputting a few details before handing it to him. “Put your address in. Technology will find the way.” 

“C’mon, Betty. I definitely know the way!”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course you do, Jug, but I would like to get home some time today, you know.”

He complies, entering his address into the open Google Maps app and handing it back to her. “I hope you know that I know you only did that so you have a record of my address. All you had to do was ask.” 

When she looks over at him, he’s smirking at her, and Betty feels her face heat up. She looks away, smiling sheepishly. “Definitely, Jug. Now let's get you home.” 

They fill the rest of the short 15-minute journey with laughs and light conversation. It’s just as familiar and comfortable as the rest of their time together has been and if she’s being honest with herself, Betty can’t wait to see him again. 

She drops him off outside of a tall, relatively new-looking apartment block around a 10 minute drive from her own. He bids goodbye to her, with enough thanks to last a lifetime. Driving away, he’s visible in her mirror, waving at her from the door of his building, for as far as she can see. 

When she pulls into her designated space in the underground parking lot of her building, the time reads 4:19 am. She feels her tiredness get more and more overwhelming so she drags herself up the stairs to her second floor apartment. Opening her front door is more of a problematic task than it should be. She drops the keys three times, while trying not to be noisy and wake up any neighbors, and has to keep reminding herself not to angrily cuss out loud. Eventually, she manages to get the door open and is greeted by her small orange cat, wanting to be fed again. 

“Hey, Caramel,” she says with a relieved smile. She drops her bag by the front door, leaning down to pet the cat, enjoying the feeling of home. Something feels _different_ , though, but she shakes it off and puts it down to tiredness.

Betty makes her way into the kitchen and shakes a few cat biscuits into the empty bowl on the floor. Remembering she promised Jughead a text when she finally arrived home, she snaps a picture of Caramel at her bowl and sends it to him. _Mom’s home,_ she writes, adding a random emoji to go with it. She smiles to herself and almost immediately, he replies back with a single heart emoji. That makes her smile even more, but she tries not to think too much into it, deciding to get some sleep instead. 

Foregoing all usual nighttime routine, Betty practically falls onto her bed, just about managing to pull the covers over herself before she falls asleep, exhaustion from the past day taking over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what did you think? i really like this chapter and i hope you did too. it'd be nice to chat to you in the comments about this little universe. :') and thank you for any kudos and comments - they really mean a lot.
> 
> ps- the world is a scary place at the moment, and i hope you and your loved ones are safe amongst everything. if anything, i hope my story can give act as a distraction if only for a moment. thank you for reading & stay safe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day after the one spent with Jughead, Betty bumps into a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this chapter is a bit of a filler chapter, so it's shorter than the previous chapters. a certain text message is addressed though, so i hope that gives you some satisfaction until thursdays chapter. 
> 
> enjoy!

Just 4 hours later, the loud sound of her alarm wakes her up. It’s 8:30 am, the time of her _not at work but should get up at a reasonable time_ alarm that she forgot to turn off. She groans out loud, cursing herself in the process. Just as she rolls over with the hope of falling back to sleep, there’s a small thud at her feet. She rubs her eyes, trying to work out what it is, when she remembers she’s back at home and the movement on her bed is her cat. 

Caramel meows at her, signally that she wants feeding _again_ , so Betty attempts to drag herself out of bed. 

“C’mon then, fluffy-ball,” she sighs, rolling over and throwing her legs over the edge. She almost falls back asleep in that position but another meow gets up her.

Plodding into the kitchen, she feeds Caramel and makes herself a very strong cup of coffee along with a bowl of some random cereal she had left. She really needs to go grocery shopping today, but all she wants to do is sleep. _Hopefully, the coffee will help with that,_ she thinks. 

An hour and two coffees later, Betty feels slightly less exhausted and ready to face the shops. 

Thinking the air will do her some good, she walks the 15 minutes to Safeway. It’s a pleasant day and the sun does make her feel better, so it’s a good decision. She wanders around the shop, picking up the items she knows she needs as well as a few extras. All in all, it takes her less than half an hour to finish her shop. 

On the walk back, she takes the longer route home and goes through the park. She takes a breather on one of the benches, enjoying the sunshine that New York definitely didn’t have. She’s lost in thought, mainly about a certain somebody that she’s due to see again tomorrow when a voice interrupts. 

“Betty? Hey, Betty!” 

Ah. It’s Toni. Could be worse, she supposes. 

“Hey, Toni. How’s it going?” She waves her over, smiling, but secretly wishing she could avoid the conversation she knows she’s about to have.

“Surprised you’re out today,” Toni laughs, sitting next to Betty on the bench. 

“Me too,” she replies, with a nervous-sounding laugh. “Thank you for feeding Caramel, by the way. I owe you one.” Polite Betty Cooper wins out, even over her awkwardness.

“No problem, Cooper. All I ask for is a few details about your time with a handsome guy.” Toni grins slyly and Betty just rolls her eyes. 

“There’s nothing to tell!” she protests. “We hung out, we sat together on the flight, I dropped him home. End of.”

“His text says otherwise.” 

Betty groans. “I told him I’d ask you about that, but he didn’t really want me to.”

“I’m not surprised,” Toni chuckles. “You wanna see it, though, right?”

She debates this. On one hand, yes, yes she really does want to see what is so bad (or good) about Jughead’s text to Toni. But on the other hand, it shouldn’t be any of her business. He might’ve only half-heartedly protested when she said she’d ask her but… 

“I mean, yeah, but I respect his-”

“Live a little, Coop,” Toni interrupts, fishing her phone out of her pocket even before Betty answers.

“Okay, I guess.”

Toni grins. “So, his exact words were, and I quote, ‘hey Toni. I’m at JFK airport with who I think is your friend, Betty Cooper’.” 

Betty burrows her eyebrows in confusion. “Right, and what’s so bad about that?”

Toni shakes her head, laughing. “When I reply telling him that I do in fact know you, he replies with ‘I think she got cuter’.”

At that, Betty blushes uncontrollably. He’d already casually mentioned that he thought she was cute, but damn, telling Toni makes it _real_. And, _cuter?_ That suggests something Betty never thought of.

“Your face says it all. Spill,” Toni all but demands. 

Even with less than a year of friendship, Betty knows better than to fight against Toni. She’s stubborn as hell, more so than Betty, who has had to learn that the hard way. Today, she’s too tired to even try so she tells her almost everything that happened between her and Jughead. And when Toni asks, with a raise of a single eyebrow, if she _likes_ him, Betty can’t help but be honest. 

“I do, Toni,” she says, with a sigh. “But… Airports are, I don’t know, they make everything feel different, so maybe it isn’t real.” “You’re seeing him again, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.” An involuntary smile spreads across Betty’s face at the simple thought of seeing him again. 

Toni laughs. “That smile says it all.”

_Yeah_ , Betty thinks, _I suppose it does_. 

“Look, Cooper, I gotta go to meet Cheryl, but,” Toni starts, standing up. “My advice to you: do something that makes you happy for once.” And with that, she’s gone before Betty has a chance to say goodbye.

After a moment allowing the words to sink in, Betty drags herself up off the bench and makes her way through the park towards her building. Fuelled with first caffeine and now sunshine, her brain can only seem to think about one thing: Jughead. Over the years, she has learned how to push unwanted thoughts out of her head, but mild jetlag paired with exhaustion makes it near on impossible today. Not that her thoughts of him are at all unwanted, perhaps just untimely. 

She gets home with little incidence, puts her shopping away and collapses on the couch in front of a rerun of _Brooklyn Nine-Nine._ Caramel joins her at one point, curling up on top of Betty’s feet. Without really thinking, she snaps a photo and sends it to Jughead with no caption.

Twenty minutes later, Betty is woken up by her phone vibrating, signaling a stream of text messages. Blurry-eyed, she picks it up, absentmindedly clicked on the notifications.

_Forsythe: Aww, she’s so cute._

_F: I’d love to meet her!_

_F: Hey, are we still on for tomorrow btw?_

_F: No worries if not, just wondering._

She smiles at the series of messages and the name he gave himself in her phone. She quickly changes it to _Jughead (Forsythe)_ instead.

Typing out a message in reply, she gets nervous to press send, and she tries to remind herself that it’s _just Jughead_. But she knows that’s not true. It’s Jughead from her childhood who she hadn’t spoken to in five years. It’s Jughead who she spent practically a whole day with. It’s Jughead who she likes more than she’s willing to admit.

Sighing, she forces herself to press send. 

_B: Yeah, definitely. 11 am okay?_

Almost instantly, she gets a reply.

_J: Sure. Can’t wait to see you, Betty._

His words make her smile _again_. God, is she that gone for him already? She quickly sends her a _Me neither_ , putting her phone to the side to at least pretend she doesn’t feel this way. She decides to make herself some dinner before she grabs and shower and heads back to bed, hoping to get a proper night’s sleep before her… _date?_ with Jughead. No, it’s not a date, she tells herself, it’s just meeting up with a friend. 

With a sigh, she drags herself up off the sofa and into her small kitchen. She picks a boxed mac and cheese she bought from the shop, quickly throwing it together with little effort before flopping back down on the sofa to eat it. 

Two hours later, she’s finished another episode of _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ along with her bodged dinner _and_ had a shower, so she’s finally ready for bed. As she clambers into bed, her phone vibrates on her bedside table. Instead of a text message from Toni or Veronica like she was expecting, it’s Jughead again.

_J: So Toni told you about my text, huh?_

She laughs. Whoops. 

_B: Yup. But don’t worry, the feeling is mutual._

It’s a brave thing to say, she realizes, but she’s hopeful that something could spark between them, so the least she can do is add a little fuel to the fire. 

_J: Interesting, Betty, really interesting._

She grins again, glad that she’s alone so no one can see her like this. Well, she wishes Jughead was with her, but that’s beside the point. 

_B: See you tomorrow, Jug. ;)_

_J: Oh, you will._

She’s still unable to stop herself from grinning like an idiot even when she does eventually put her phone back down and snuggle under her covers. In an attempt to fall asleep, she indulges herself in thoughts of Jughead and seeing him tomorrow. As expected, she’s asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that text message, huh? honestly i spent far too long trying to think of that (and its not even a great one)
> 
> sorry about the length of this chapter - i hope you enjoyed it regardless. and i have good word that next chapter might make up for it... :D
> 
> thank you for reading! i'd love to talk to you in the comments, which are, as always, very appreciated, along with kudos. (ao3 emails are my life huh)
> 
> i hope you are all staying safe <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead meet up again. Does it go as well as she hopes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! this chapter is longer to make up for the last one. it's packed full of bughead, too, so i hope you enjoy it!

The following morning, Betty awakes finally feeling fully refreshed. She wakes up an hour before her alarm is due to go off, probably because of her early night previously, and around two and a half hours before she needs to leave to meet Jughead. That gives her plenty of time to panic, get excited, and panic some more. She’s woken up in a relatively good mood, happy that she’s seeing him again, but she’s nervous as fuck too. After their short text conversation last night, she isn’t sure how the day’s going to go. She hopes she wasn’t too much, didn’t _say_ too much, or scare him off. It didn’t seem that way, if she’s being honest.

She gets out of bed, leisurely going about her morning routine. For a moment, she wonders if she should shower again, but she manages to convince herself that Jughead won’t notice a 12-hour difference. Instead, she makes breakfast and puts on some crappy morning TV. 

Almost two hours pass relatively quickly. She’s in the middle of getting dressed when her phone rings. Her heart rate increases and she can feel herself getting nervous to answer it, having it in her head that Jughead’s about to cancel on her.

It rings a couple of times before she musters up the courage to flip it over. 

_Toni_. 

Phew. She breathes a sigh of relief as she picks up the call. “Hey, Toni,” she says, hoping her voice sounds more level than she thinks. 

“Betty, hey, you okay?” Concern floods her voice, of course, because Betty’s never been very good at hiding anything when it comes to Toni. 

She swallows thickly. “Yeah, yes. Sorry, I’m just getting ready to meet Jughead.”

“Ahh, you’re _nervous_ , eh?” she says in a teasing tone, grin evident in her voice.

“Maybe,” Betty mumbles. 

Toni laughs. “Cooper, this man is already gone for you, I just know it. You’ll be just fine.”

Betty sighs contentedly, feeling much better thanks to Toni’s magical ways. It’s something that got Betty through the first few months of being in Seattle, having someone so supportive and understanding. She’s learning to rely on her friend less and less, but if she needs her, Toni will be there in a heartbeat. 

“Thank you, Toni,” she says. “Anyway, what’s up? Why’d you ring?”

“Mainly ‘cause I knew your date’s soon.”

Betty sighs. “It’s _not_ a date.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Toni laughs. “But also, I need some advice on Cheryl.”

“Sure,” Betty replies, putting her phone on speaker so she can continue getting ready while helping Toni out.

Their conversation continues for a little while as Betty does her hair and make-up. It’s nice, really, talking to Toni while getting ready. It reminds her of college with Veronica and the days she missed from her childhood. Toni asks her some intimate question to do with her and Cheryl’s relationship and Betty answers with as much advice she can come up with. They chat for a bit about Cheryl before Toni inevitably brings Jughead up again. Betty knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid it, as much as she wishes she could. 

“So, are you gonna kiss him today? Or wait for him to make the first move. I don’t know him that well but-”

“Toni!” Betty groans, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. “It’s not even a date!”

“But you like him.”

“We’ll see how it goes. And before you ask, _yes_ , I’ll update you and Veronica as soon as possible. I know you two will be waiting.” 

“Good,” Toni says triumphantly. “Go on, you get going, we’ll talk later… unless you’re too busy.”

“I won’t be but I’m sure you will be,” Betty quips back. 

Toni laughs. “Good luck, Cooper.”

They exchange goodbye’s and Betty hangs up feeling slightly less nervous than before. She spends the final ten minutes before she has to leave texting both Veronica and Toni, as promised, outfit and make-up updates. They have a group chat, and even though her two best friends have never met in person, the three of them seem to get along better than Betty ever did with anyone in Riverdale. She enjoys their teasing messages more now, after her phone call with Toni, feeling like she can relax and just _let_ it happen. 

Snapping one final OOTD photo - renamed ‘outfit of the date’ by Veronica - to send to the chat, she receives a shower of compliments and suggestive emojis. She shrugs it off, sending one final _off now, talk later_ and shoves her phone in her bag, heading towards the door. 

Before she leaves, she takes a last look at her outfit in the mirror by the door. She decided to go casual, not wanting to look overdressed - they’re only meeting in a coffee shop after all - but she did want to make a bit of an effort, more effort than she made when she saw him last. Plus, it’s nice weather out. So she wears a short, denim skirt (hopefully short enough to extract a reaction from him, but not _too_ short) along with a long sleeved pink top that isn’t _too_ revealing. 

With Toni and Veronica’s words of encouragement whirling around in her head, she heads out before she can second-guess herself.

Their agreed meeting point is a coffee shop named _Slate Coffee_ , around 10 minutes by foot from Betty’s apartment and similar from his. They’re meeting for brunch, and Jughead had assured her that this particular place does outstanding food, so she’s excited. Not only for the food, but to see him again. 

She arrives early. The one habit she hasn’t been able to shake off from her childhood. It usually leaves her awkwardly hovering outside entrances, but as she moves nearer, she can see Jughead already there, sitting at one of the tables inside. He’s fiddling with a napkin and she wonders if he’s doing that because he’s nervous. 

Walking inside, she sees Jughead look up at the sound of the door. Her eyes meet his and they both grin like idiots. She makes her way over to him, ignoring the stares of other customers. 

He stands up as she approaches, moving as if he wants to greet her with a hug but thinks better of it. “Hey,” he says, awkwardly patting the side of her arm.

She stifles a laugh, wondering where his confidence from the airport went. She decides to take one for the team, so to speak, and pulls him in for a short but sweet hug. Feeling his arms immediately around her, she notes how warm and comforting he feels. “Hey, Jug,” she says as she pulls back.

He gestures for her to sit down, so she does, as does he, pushing a menu towards her. “How are you?”

She scans the menu as they engage in polite small talk about the past day since they saw each other. She tells him that she’s spent most of the time sleeping and he laughs, thanking her again for driving him home so late. He then asks for her order, must have noticing that she stopped scanning the menu. In an attempt to protest, she tries to get him to get her _his_ order so she could order, but his stubbornness and charm defeating her. 

“Fine, but I’m paying next time,” she tells him, handing over the menu to a now-standing Jughead.

“Next time, eh?” he grins. 

“Don’t push your luck.” She rolls her eyes playfully. “I’ll have the avocado on toast, please, and a latte.”

“Who knew you were such a stereotypical millennial?” he teases, walking off and over to the counter before she has a chance to reply. 

She laughs to herself, getting her phone out to text the girls while he’s gone. 

_B: All good so far. He’s as cute as my jetlagged brain thought._

_V: Yes, B! Go get him._

_T: You got this, girl._

_B: He’s coming back. TTYL_

She shoves her phone away, smiling at Jughead who sits back down, putting two coffees on the table. 

“Food shouldn’t be long,” he says casually. 

“Thanks.” She takes a sip of her boiling coffee, wincing when the liquid burns her tongue. “Fuck.”

“That’s hot, you know?” 

_Like something else,_ she thinks, cursing herself immediately. Instead she says, “Uh huh. A warning beforehand would’ve been better, though.”

There’s a glint in his eye as he speaks. “I’m sorry, I thought Betty Cooper NYU graduate would’ve known that fresh coffee is hot.”

She just rolls her eyes and pouts at him. 

“Aww, do you want me to make it better for you?” He tilts his head to the side, a sickly sweet smile plastered on his face. He knows _exactly_ what he’s doing and Betty isn’t fully sure how to react.

Luckily (or not), she doesn’t have to. A waitress interrupts at the right time, carefully placing their food in front of them with a smile. They both thank her politely and she is gone as quick as she arrived. 

Betty digs into her avocado on toast while Jughead starts on his stack of pancakes, neither saying much as they eat. The silence between them is comfortable, background noise meaning it isn’t actually silent. 

A few bites in, she lets out a small noise of appreciation for the amazingness that is this particular brunch meal. She’s so engrossed in it that Jughead laughing in the background almost floats over her head. But it continues, and her eyes snap to his. 

“What?” she mumbles through a bite of toast. 

He takes a gulp of his coffee. “You enjoying that?”

She raises her eyebrows at him, tilting her head to the side. “Problem?”

He seems shocked at her response. He mutters something under his breath and Betty can’t fully hear him but she thinks it’s something along the lines of _you’re going to kill me_. 

In response, she feels herself blush, and she sends him a coy smile. 

They finish their food with less teasing comments and more casual conversation. Beforehand, Betty was worried that they wouldn’t have much to talk about after spending almost a full day together just one day previous, but much to her delight, conversation with Jughead is easy. 

As cliche as it sounds, they talk about anything and everything and it’s just as if they’ve known each other forever. She finds out more and more about him, feeling herself fall for him as much as she tries to stop herself. 

After they both finish their coffees, Betty decides to test the waters a bit. “Hey, Jug, do you want to take a walk? It’s warm out, maybe we could go to the coast?”

The smile that spreads across his face says it all. “Yes, yeah, I’d love that.”

She returns the smile. “Perfect.” 

Excusing herself to the bathroom before they head off towards the coast, she locks herself in one of the stalls and decides to take a moment to update the girls on her not-date. 

_B: He’s so sweet. We’re heading off to the coast now too!_

She takes a moment of contemplation while waiting for either of them to reply. Just a few days ago, she’d almost forgotten about Jughead, thinking she’d never see him again along with most other people from her high school. But then he appeared at the airport, just happened to be on the same flight as her, and somehow ended up seated next to her too. To top that all off, he _lives_ in the same city as her and actually seems to like her! Maybe his spiel about fate had some truth after all. 

Her phone vibrates in her hand and she looks down at it, expecting some kind of indecipherable spam from Veronica. Instead, she’s received a photo from Toni. She clicks on it, intrigued. It seems to be a screenshot of a message thread with… _Oh_. Jughead. 

In a moment of conflict, she almost doesn’t look at it, but her inquisitive nature as a journalist wins. 

She skims down the screenshot, getting to the most recent message. _Toni, I really like her. Help me, what do I do?_

A stupidly big grin spreads across her face. Fuck. This is really happening.

She decides she better get going, sending a quick reply to Toni.

_B: I really like him too, but don’t tell him I said that_

After that, she shoves her phone away, takes a quick second to compose herself, and heads back out to Jughead, knowing she has to pretend she hasn’t seen what he said about her.

As she approaches the table, he looks around at her and stands up, pocketing his phone in the process. “Hey,” he greets. “Ready to go?” 

She nods, following him out the door. 

The walk to the beach is just 20 minutes long. It’s one Betty’s taken many times before, alone or with friends, but she has never enjoyed it as much as she does with Jughead. 

She finds out that he enjoys people watching. 

“When I was younger, back in Riverdale,” he tells her as they walk across a road. “I used to spend a lot of time in Pop’s. I’m sure you saw me there a lot.”

“Almost every time I was there,” she laughs.

He laughs too. “Yep. It was… a good place to get away from things at home. But when things got really tough, I started writing. I used to write stories from snippets of conversations I heard and people watching.”

Wow. Thinking back, she never did see Jughead without a notebook or laptop. That must’ve been what he was doing. “You ever wrote anything about me?” She looks over at him, grinning. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he throws back in a teasing manner. 

She’s speechless. Again. Apparently something she doesn’t know how to deal with is his flirty comments. 

“Anyway,” he laughs nervously, moving on from her lack of reply. “That’s what got me into writing. And I just sort of fell into journalism, to be honest.”

“I always wanted to be a journalist,” she says simply. “Did you ever read the Nancy Drew books?”

“I was more of a Baxter Brother’s fan, but I know the ones.” 

“I got my first one at 12 and I carried it around with me for a solid year.” She smiles fondly at the memory. “And I’d tell everyone I would be a journalist when I grew up.” 

“That’s amazing, Betty. 12 year old you must be proud.” His fingers brush with hers, grasping slightly but quickly dropping them again. 

She wonders if he also feels the spark between them when he does that. She gets distracted by that thought, forgetting to reply again. The feeling of his elbow nudging her arm slightly snaps her out of her haze.

“Sorry,” she mutters, still slightly distracted.

He nudges her again, pointing over to the beach that they’re approaching. “Look, look at that dog over there.”

She follows his hand and finds said dog. It’s a small sheepdog, excitedly chasing a ball in and out of the sea. 

“He reminds me of Hot Dog,” Jughead tells her, a softness to his voice. When she doesn’t reply, he continues. “He was never officially ours, but he definitely shared the Jones’ appetite. I still miss him.”

Betty vaguely remembers Hot Dog. She occasionally saw Jughead and Archie walking him with Vegas along Sweetwater River. It was one of the rare times that Jughead actually looked happy. 

“Have you thought about getting a dog of your own?” she asks as they reach a bench facing the sea. “Let’s sit.”

He nods, leaving only a small gap between them. “I’d love a dog, but apartment living doesn’t lend for the best conditions, so not yet at least.”

She can understand that. Before getting Caramel, she looked into rescuing a dog instead, but experienced the same issue. That, the nature of her job, and passion for travel all meant it wasn’t the sensible option. Then the fluffy orange blob of a cat came up for adoption, and stole her heart. She tells Jughead this.

“I’d love to meet Caramel,” he says, repeating his words from a text the previous day. 

She smiles. “You’ll have to come round one day.” 

The smirk on his face tells her that the implication of inviting him to her apartment isn’t lost on him. She tries to shrug it off, she tries to ignore any thoughts of said situation, but it doesn’t work. Those thoughts linger and she finds it difficult not to get distracted by them.

“Maybe when we watch The Confession Killer?” 

“Uh, yeah, yep, sounds good,” she babbles, definitely not thinking about what else they could be doing in her apartment. 

He chuckles lightly. “Another day maybe.”

“Definitely.” 

Suddenly, he stands up. Holding his hand out to her, he says, “Let’s walk on the sand.”

Naturally, she immediately gets up, taking his hand in hers. He doesn’t make any effort to let go so neither does she. They walk hand in hand until they reach the beach, stopping to remove their shoes. 

“C’mon!” he calls as he begins running towards the sea. She giggles, shoving her shoes in her bag and running after him. 

The sea is cold on her feet, but paired with the warmth of the sun on her back it’s pleasant. And with Jughead by her side, no longer afraid to grab her hand, it feels so natural. They laugh and mess around. She imagines that they look like two teenagers in love, worryless and hopeful. 

And for the first time in a while, she _does_ feel hopeful. Hopeful for a future with Jughead by her side, hopeful for many more happy times just like this. When he looks over at her, she feels all of her hopes coming to life.

He’s smiling at her and the wind is blowing his hair away from his face like he’s in a Hollywood film. She can’t help but notice how handsome he looks. More mature and grown up than Jughead from Riverdale, a lot happier and carefree. Seattle suits him, she thinks, as does it her. 

The sound of the waves gently crashing against the sand merge with the sound of their laughs. With just a few people and their dogs around this part of the beach, it gives them an intimate, private feeling. Sun on their backs, smiles on their face, it’s perfect.

That word - perfect - used to haunt Betty. Perfect Riverdale Betty Cooper. Her mom used to push her to be perfect. Grades, student, look. But she never was. It took her a long time to undo the damage her mother had done trying to force her into being something so unachievable. Through college, Veronica had supported her a lot, making sure she knew that she could be imperfect and people would still like her. Then, moving to Seattle, Toni had taken over the role in person with Veronica still on the end of the phone if needs be. Over time, Betty realized she didn’t need their support as much anymore, able to work through her issues by herself. 

And now, stumbling and laughing on a beach thousands of kilometers away from her overbearing mother and attempts at the perfect life, with a man who knew her back then yet still wants to know her now, she finally allows herself to call the moment perfect and mean it. 

She grabs onto Jughead’s hand and drags him along with her as she skips along the seafront. “This is perfect,” she tells him, grin on her face. And it feels good to say it out loud, it’s the self-development she’s been waiting her entire life for.

His eyes meet hers even as they messily skip together, hands tangled together. “It is, Betty, it really is.” He sounds more sincere that she’s ever heard him before, smile threatening to split his face in half. 

Like two kids, they continue running, skipping and laughing their way along the coast for what feels like hours. Eventually, Betty begins to get tired, so she slows down, reluctantly letting go of his hand. 

“You okay?” he asks as he comes to a pause, grabbing her arm to stop her too. 

She smiles at him. Of course she does. He has that effect on her. “I’m great, Jug. Just getting tired, I guess.”

“Let’s get ice cream.” He points to an ice cream van on the grass that runs behind the sand. She nods her agreement, so he takes her hand again and leads her to the van.

They queue up behind a dog walker, Jughead somehow making friends with the panting golden retriever in the 2 minutes it takes for their owner to get an ice cream. Jughead leans down to pet the dog and in return gets licked on the face. Betty stands back, watching the situation unfold, thinking to herself that one day, that dog could be their own. 

As they spend more and more time together, along with her chats with Veronica and Toni, she’s getting better at accepting such thoughts about Jughead. Rather than pushing them down and ignoring them, she welcomes them and indulges herself. Plus, at this point, she’s almost certain he feels the same. The lingering looks, hand holding and teasing comments. The texts from Toni she’s not really meant to know about. Everything, as well as a general _feeling_ , tells her that he likes her too. 

She doesn’t know what that means for them immediately though. She likes him, she wants to kiss him, she wants some kind of future with him. But is it too soon? Possible, yes, she thinks, but something feels different with him. Maybe it’s because they’ve known each other longer than just the couple days they’ve spent getting to know each other, or maybe it’s fate like he says. Either way, she’s certain it’s real.

In the time she got distracted by her thoughts, he’d ordered and paid for her ice cream. Just a simple cone with a flake, enough to give her some much-needed energy. She thanks him when he hands it to her, noting the chocolate covered popsicle he has. 

They walk the handful of steps back onto the beach and sit down side-by-side looking out to the sea. Enjoying their cold treats on such a warm day, the sound of the waves allows for a pleasant background noise while they chat through mouthfuls of ice cream. 

They stay there for a while even after they finish eating. Time flows on, hours spent together feeling like minutes, but as the beach around them begins to get busier with children and parents after school and work, they decide to call in a day and start heading back.

“I can call a taxi?” he asks, helping her get up off the floor. 

She shakes her head. “Walk with me?”

He smiles sweetly. “Of course, Betty.” 

The hand that helped pull her up stays intertwined with hers for the 20-minute walk back towards the coffee shop they originally met in earlier that day. From there, their apartments are in different directions, and as much as she’d love to invite him back with her, she has things to sort for work tomorrow. 

She pauses near the coffee shop to say goodbye to him and decides to take a leap of fate. “Come round for dinner on Wednesday? I’ll cook and we can watch Netflix,” she asks hopefully. That’s three days from now. She knows he has work then, but she doesn’t want to wait until the next weekend to see him again either.

The smile that immediately spreads across his face answers her question before words do. “Yes. I’d love to.”

“Great!” She squeezes his hand before they proceed to make a plan for in a few days’ time. The pair of them have work, with Betty scheduled to finish at 5 and Jughead at 6, so they decide on him going to her apartment straight from work. That gives her enough time to freshen up and start dinner before he arrives, so all in all, it’s a good plan. Except there’s a nagging thought in Betty’s mind that is telling her that it sounds suspiciously like a date and perhaps she should _officially_ make it one. Nerves overtake her and instead, she tells him that she should head home now.

“I’ll walk you home,” he says simply, shocking her slightly. 

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that.”

He shrugs. “I want to.”

“Okay.” She grins, allowing him to take her hand again as they walk off towards Betty’s apartment. 

10 minutes and even more light conversation later, they reach her building, hands still laced together as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And to Betty, it feels like it is, which is why she’s so hesitant to let go and walk upstairs to her second-floor apartment. She knows it’s for the best _(for now)_ to let him go, but that doesn’t make it any easier. 

“This is me,” she says. 

He smiles sadly. “Thank you for today, Betty. It’s been amazing.”

“Thank _you_ , Jug.”

He looks at her, eyes flickering down - to her lips, she thinks. The air between them feels thick with tension and something unsaid, as she feels her own eyes moving down to his lips too. One of his hands moves up and sits on the base on her neck, the other still tangled with hers. 

“Betty…” he whispers, caressing her neck with his thumb. 

She can almost feel herself being drawn towards him, like some kind of non-existent magnetic pull between the two of them. With just a few inches between them, she thinks that this is the moment, this is the moment where they close the small gap between them and their lips meet in the middle. Her eyes flutter close in anticipation. 

But then a loud police car speeds down the road behind them, forcing them apart with a fright. 

“Fuck,” she mutters under her breath as she attempts to blink herself back into composure. 

“Fuck indeed,” he agrees, smirking slightly. 

A period of silence sits between them, both unsure of what to say or do now. The moment - whatever was about to happen - has gone, as disappointed as Betty is. She thinks that maybe it’s a sign of things moving too fast or perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be today. Luckily, the events of their day together have been more than enough for her, and she allows herself to hope for Wednesday to bring that moment she so desires. 

“I, uh, I better get going,” he says awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other. “Have a good week, Betty, I’ll see you on Wednesday.” 

As he starts to walk away, she manages to muster up the courage to do one little thing. “Hey, Jug, wait!” she calls.

He looks around, taking the few steps he’d moved back towards her. She wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Quickly, she feels his arms wrap around her, engulfing her in a warm hug. 

“Thank you,” she mumbles into him.

They hug for what is probably too long for two friends in the streets of Seattle, but neither of them seems to care. Eventually, when Betty pulls back, she leans up and presses a soft kiss on his cheek. He seems shocked at first, but a grin is soon plastered on his face. 

“See you soon, Jug,” she beams, stepping away from him and towards the door of her building. At the door, she takes one quick glance back, waving at him down the street. 

She practically bounces up the stairs to her apartment, immensely happy with how today went. Even when she’s inside, she does not stop grinning. She goes about her normal routine of feeding Caramel and making her own dinner before sitting down on the sofa in front of a re-run of something lighthearted. 

After dinner, and still grinning, she decides to update her two best friends on her _definitely not a date_. She opens the lid of her laptop, punching in her passcode, settling it down on the arm of the sofa. She clicks a few buttons until the mildly annoying ringing tone of FaceTime fills the room. 

Veronica is the first to answer. “B! How was your date?” she exclaims excitedly. “Oh! We better wait for Toni to pick up.” She mimics zipping her mouth shut.

Betty laughs, just as Toni picks up. “Hello, all. Betty, please spill. I need details.”

“Ooh wait! I need to get wine!” Sounds of Veronica running around and the view of her ceiling are followed by her filling her wine glass up and telling them, “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Right,” Betty says, shifting around in her seat. “So…” For the next twenty minutes, Betty takes the girls through the details of her day with Jughead. She starts right at the beginning with brunch, going all the way through to him walking her home. She tells them almost everything, making the decision to leave out their almost-kiss and plans for dinner.

Whenever she mentions anything about holding hands, Veronica actually squeals with excitement while Toni smirks knowingly. It’s lovely to have such brilliant responses from her friends, it gives her the boost and confidence she needs and never got back in Riverdale. 

“I’m so glad you’re both happy for me,” she says, smiling softly. Caramel has curled up on her lap, so she strokes her gently as she speaks.

“Of course!” Veronica replies, wine glass in hand. “You’ll have to bring him to New York to meet me though. I can’t believe you’ve met him and I haven’t, Toni.”

“Sorry, V,” Toni laughs. “I can assure you that he’s a good one. I wouldn’t let him anywhere near Betty if he wasn’t.”

“Good! I trust your judgment.”

Betty giggles. “Thanks, guys.”

“So, when you gonna kiss him?” Toni questions with a raise of her eyebrows. 

Veronica takes a long sip of wine before refilling the glass. “Good question, Toni.” 

“Nope,” Betty groans, feeling herself blush heavily. “That’s where this conversation ends.”

“Toni,” Veronica asks. “What’s that sly look for?”

Betty looks over from Veronica’s bubble to Toni’s. She is smirking slightly, reading something on her phone. 

“That’s him, isn’t it?”

Toni glances up at the camera, still smirking. She nods. “I’m not saying anything this time. This one’s on you, Cooper.”

For another 20 minutes, they discuss all of their relationships: Betty’s potential one with Jughead, Toni’s (very intimate) one with Cheryl, and Veronica’s unfortunately non-existent one. The three girls chat like teenagers and it feels _good_. 

Eventually, Betty decides to call it a night. Bidding goodnight to the others, she tells them that she’ll update them as soon as anything else happens. They both wish her luck and she hangs up feeling very happy. 

With Caramel still in her lap, she stays sitting there for a moment, allowing her some much-needed thinking time.

She _likes_ Jughead, that she cannot deny. In fact, she really likes Jughead. She found herself spending a large chunk of time today wanting to kiss him. Around him, she feels hopeful, _happy_. And she thinks he feels the same too. 

The part of her that’s scared has shrunk over the time she spent with him and even more so with talking about him to her friends. To some people, it might be too soon, but to her, she knows it’s right. Now all she needs to do is be certain he feels the same. 

Almost as if he could read her mind, she receives a text from Jughead. 

_J: Just wanted to say thank you again for today. Can’t wait for Wednesday_

The grin he brings out of her so easily is back again. God, he’s so sweet and thoughtful. 

_B: :) I had an amazing time. Btw, any requests for dinner?_

They continue chatting on text for a while after Jughead tells her that he’ll eat pretty much anything. Even though Betty knows she should be preparing for her upcoming workday, she’d rather talk to him than do that, but she has a busy day after being away. Knowing he’ll understand, he texts him goodnight, sending a photo of a sleeping Caramel too - something that has quickly become a thing between them. He replies wishing her a good day at work and she goes about her preparation and nighttime routine with a smile on her face. 

The same smile stays even when she falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> should i say sorry? :D don't worry, we'll get there eventually, i promise. 
> 
> i hope you liked this chapter - it's one of my favorites so far. we still have lots of this fic left to go, so strap yourselves in, people!
> 
> kudos and comments are v v appreciated, so thank you all. i love to talk to you lovely people and hear your thoughts on my little story. (honestly this fic is my baby)
> 
> anyway, thank you so much for reading! i hope you and your loved ones are staying safe. <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Definitely-not-a-date dinner with Jughead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i can't believe we're on chapter 7 already. in this chapter, jughead finally meets caramel, and honestly, that's all that matters. 
> 
> enjoy! see you on the flip side

The following day, Betty’s alarm wakes her up far too early. She drags herself out of bed and into the kitchen, shaking out a few cat biscuits into the bowl on the floor and cereal into the bowl on the counter. (Luckily, she gets it the right way round, but that hasn’t always been the case.)

She sits on one of her barstools to eat her breakfast, knowing that if she goes to the sofa she’ll fall back asleep again, and picks her phone up to scroll through Instagram. As usual, Veronica has posted a bunch of extravagant photos of NYC, and Betty being the type of friend she is, likes and comments on them all. Other than that, her feed is relatively boring. She has a notification, so she clicks on it. 

_jjones3 has started following you_ , it says. 

Clicking through to the profile, she is happy to be greeted with 3 posted photos, 2 of which include Jughead’s face. She quickly follows back before clicking on the most recently posted photo, posted yesterday. It’s of the beach they went to together. The caption reads _perfect day_ and she can’t help but smile at that.

She scrolls down to the next photo, posted just a couple days before. It’s what seems like an uncharacteristic selfie, geotagged at JFK airport. He’s smiling sweetly and that strand of hair she notices far too often is hanging over his left eye. She stares at it for probably too long, a goofy grin never leaving her face.

The final photo is one of him and Archie. It was posted a few months back - must’ve been when Jughead last saw him. Betty takes in every detail of both of them. With Jughead, of course, she’s just appreciating his good looks, but with Archie, she notes how much he’s changed. She’s glad they’re still friends, although some jealousy manages to seep through too. She finds herself wondering if Jughead would ever invite her to visit Archie with him.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she busies herself with getting ready for work. 

An hour later, she arrives at work, still mildly distracted. She manages to get through the first half of the day not working at her best, deciding that getting out of the building for lunch will do her some good. Taking just her phone and 20 dollar bill, she wanders down the street to her favorite bakery. She buys a cheese baguette and heads towards the nearby park.

As she’d hoped, the sun makes her feel better and more focused. She picks a bench overlooking the small pond area in the park and starts to eat her baguette. 

Similar to at the airport, a voice from behind calls her. 

“Betty Cooper.”

This time, there is no uncertainty in the voice and she does not hesitate to look round. 

Of course, her eyes are met with the sight that is Jughead Jones. 

Like before, she is slightly shocked to see him. She was not expecting to see him before dinner tomorrow, but somehow, here he is again. 

“Jug? What are you doing here?”

He walks over, sitting next to her on the bench. “What did I tell you about fate, Betty?”

She laughs, surprised when she expected that kind of response. “Aren’t you meant to be at work?”

“Nope, back tomorrow,” he grins. “And naturally, my wanderings lead me to you.”

“Well, it’s good to see you regardless of how you found me.” She takes a bite of her lunch, noticing the way he watches as she does so. 

With an over-exaggerated frown, he says, “You could’ve got me one of those, you know?”

Betty rolls her eyes, finishing her mouthful. “Am I supposed to be a mind reader as well as a journalist now?”

“How’s your article going, by the way?”

Filling the next half an hour with light conversation, Betty tells him about the work she was trying to do this morning. When she tells him that she was distracted, he sends her a knowing smirk, telling her there’s always later. After having a mild heart attack at the implication, she brings herself back to reality and tells him of the work she needs to have done by the end of the day. He listens intently as he always does, walking with her back to her building. 

“I hope you get some work done this afternoon, Betty!” he tells her with a grin.

She shakes her head, also grinning, saying as she moves to walk back inside, “See you tomorrow, Jug.”

In response, he grabs her hand and moves forward, pressing a soft kiss on her cheek. Before she can react, he’s walking away, sending a small wave to her from over his shoulder. 

Shocked and incredibly happy, Betty takes a moment to compose herself before reentering her building for an afternoon of work. After seeing Jughead and after that cheek kiss, she’s simultaneously more and less distracted. On one hand, she’s super focused and _happy_ but there’s one part of her brain that’s just chanting his name over and over. 

Regardless, she gets the majority of her day’s to-do list completed, finishing work a little before 6. She bids goodbye to the few of her co-workers still working hard and exits the building with a spring in her step, heading towards Safeway in a hunt for the ingredients for her and Jughead’s dinner tomorrow night. 

An hour later, she’s stocked up on everything she needs to make homemade burgers and fries and brownies for dessert as well as a few extra snacks she knows he’ll appreciate. She makes her way home, ready to crash for the evening.

When she gets home, she checks her phone, finding texts from Toni and Veronica, as she does most days. 

_T: Heard you had a lunchtime visitor today, Coop ;)_

_V: Ooh! Do spill!_

She laughs at her friends. She’s certain, now, that her visitor today had something to do with Toni, and of course Veronica wants to know the details. Indulging both Veronica and herself, she texts back with full details. As always, they’re both incredibly happy and excited for her. 

Then, conversation turns to Veronica’s love life, so Betty takes this as an opportunity to shower and make dinner. Afterwards, she catches up on the messages and relaxes with Caramel before making her way to bed for an early night, thoughts of Jughead never fully leaving her mind. 

– 

The next day - Wednesday, or definitely-not-a-date dinner with Jughead day - Betty wakes up earlier than usual. Not on purpose, though, she just cannot sleep. For some reason, she’s super nervous about this evening. The thought of cooking for him and having him in her apartment is terrifying. 

Sighing, she decides she might as well get up and do some prep she was leaving for later. Then, she goes about her normal morning routine and heads off to work slightly earlier than usual in the hope of getting more done today. 

Surprisingly enough, she has a very productive morning. She gets a big chunk of her first article on the mysterious cult known as ‘The Farm’ and finds out some interesting details during her continuing research phase. She takes a short lunch at her desk, allowing for an early finish after an equally productive afternoon. 

Speeding home after work, she arrives there at just after 4:30, leaving approximately an hour and a half until Jughead is due. She spends that time finishing off the prep for dinner. Afterwards, she grabs a quick shower and changes out of her work clothes, into a summery dress covered in small flowers. Not too over-the-top for her dinner, suits the weather, _and_ flaunts her best features. She dries her hair into soft curls, leaving it down, and thinks to herself _why not?_

A text from Jughead at 5:58 tells her that he’s on the way and should be with her within 10 minutes or so. Nerves start to kick in once more, but this time, her excitement manages to outweigh the nerves. 

Another text 10 minutes later tells her that Jughead is downstairs.

_J: Betty I’m outside but I can’t get in._

She laughs at that, before remembering that she never actually told him her apartment number so it’s no wonder that he can’t get in. 

_B: I’ll buzz you in. Appt 33b_

She does so, hearing a knocking at the door just a few moments later. She practically skips over, opening it with a big grin on her face. 

On the other side stands a very handsome looking Jughead, dressed in his usual attire and a denim jacket, holding a bunch of gorgeous sunflowers. 

“Hey,” he greets. “These are for you.” He blushes slightly as he hands her the flowers. 

She reaches out and takes them, their fingers brushing lightly as she does so. “Thank you, Jug. That’s really sweet,” she says, trying to ignore the spark she swears she just felt.

He grins, walking through the door. “What kind of fate is that, huh? The flowers match your dress.”

She closes the door, looking down at her dress and then at the flowers. As expected, her pale yellow dress is covered in miniature sunflowers, matching the ones now in her hand. “So they do. They’re beautiful.”

He ducks his head sheepishly. “ _You_ look beautiful.”

Grinning, she feels a blush cover her face. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” she says, cringing at her inability to receive _or_ give compliments. 

He doesn’t seem to mind, though, looking up, eyes meeting hers. He leans forward slightly, his face just a couple inches from hers. She thinks this is the moment, she thinks he’s going to close the gap. But then the timer for the potatoes goes off in the other room. 

“I better-“ she says, gesturing towards the noise. 

Nodding, he steps back and follows her into the kitchen.

In an attempt to shrug their moment off, Betty gives him a short tour. “Bathroom’s over there, this is the kitchen, and that’s the lounge,” she tells him, pointing around as she turns off the timer and moves the pan of potatoes off the hob. “Take a seat, I’ll just put these in water.”

“You got a nice place here, Betty,” he says, flopping down on her cat-hair covered couch with an audible sigh.

“Thank you, Jug.” She fumbles around in the kitchen just behind him, searching for a vase. “Ah, here it is,” she mumbles to herself, reaching to the back of the cupboard to pull out the vase. 

“What’s that?”

Standing up from her crouched position in the cupboard, her eyes are met with his head facing her, neck twisted around so he can see her in the kitchen. “Just found a vase,” she laughs. “So, tell me about your day.”

He does, he takes her through his day in great detail. And she listens intently while she places the beautiful sunflowers in a vase, half-filling it with water before sitting it on the windowsill. Then, she sits down next to him, his eyes never leaving her. 

When he finishes telling her about his day, from the constant teasing comment from Toni to the work on their article, he asks about hers. She smiles at the sincerity in his voice, giving him the same level of detail about her day. 

As she speaks, Jughead watches her with an interest on his face that she’s never seen before. He laughs in all the right places, adds in quirky comments and asks questions that show her that he’s actually _listening_. It’s brilliant, makes her feel cared about, and it’s so fucking nice. 

Eventually, he follows her into the kitchen area as she cooks up the burger patties. He helps by toasting the buns and chopping up the burger toppings, much to Betty’s protest. 

“As much as I’m naturally opposed to salad, I will chop this gracefully and lovingly because it’s going in God’s wonderful creation of a burger,” he says in a serious tone as he unwraps the lettuce. 

She giggles over the sound of sizzling. “Do you even believe in God?”

“No, but it’s a burger,” he says by way of an explanation. 

Fifteen minutes and a lot of laughs later, a joint effort of homemade burgers and fries sits elegantly in front of them on Betty’s 2-person wide kitchen island. 

“Not that I expected anything less, but this looks amazing,” Jughead says. He picks up a fry, plopping it in his mouth with a slight grin. 

“A good joint effort, huh?”

Instead of a reply, she hears him moan through a mouthful of burger. She rolls her eyes with a smile, taking a bite of her own burger. _Not bad,_ she thinks to herself. 

After Jughead practically licks his plate clean, he turns to her and says, “Betty, I think that might’ve been better than Pop’s.”

She almost chokes. “Really?” He nods, sending her a real smile.

“Wow. Thank you, Jug. That’s a massive compliment from you.”

They share heartfelt smiles once more, probably looking like a pair of idiots just sitting smiling at one another, but Betty doesn’t care. Besides, there’s no one around to see them. 

Taking their dirty plates, she dumps them on the side next to the sink and removes the prepared brownie batter from the refrigerator, ready for the oven. So quietly that she doesn’t notice, Jughead comes up behind her and starts fiddling with the dirty dishes. 

“You okay there?” she half-laughs as she spins around from the oven. 

He ignores her question. “How long will those be?” he asks, gesturing.

“About half an hour. Why?” 

He leans against the worktop, his faux-confidence showing. “Well, first, you’re going to show me where your washing up stuff is so I can do the dishes, and second, you’re going to show me where you’re hiding that cat of yours.” 

“Firstly, you don’t need to do the dishes, and secondly, patience, Jughead.” 

He argues with her in a fond, joking manner, and of course she gives in, but only once she convinces him to let her do the drying up.

“Deal,” he tells her, smug grin covering his face. 

So that’s what they do. Betty prepares the sink for him to wash the dishes, then allows him to take over and perfectly wash and rinse every dish she used so far. Handing them over to her, she dries them half-heartedly, usually one to just leave them to air dry. They form a system, one hell of a domestic system. It feels almost too familiar, too domestic, for Betty. Like they’ve been doing this for years. But in reality, this is the first time he’s been at her apartment.

She hopes that there _are_ many years where this system is used with both of them, perhaps one day in a place of their own, but she knows she’s getting ahead of herself with such thoughts. 

Turns out, when doing dishes with someone from your childhood who you have only just started talking to again and who you may or may not have a crush on, it ends up taking longer than the usual 10 minutes it’d take alone. Spilled water, laughs and the whole half an hour of brownie baking time later, Betty just finishes drying the last dish when the timer goes off. 

“Wow,” she chuckles, silencing the noise. “That took longer than expected.”

“I guess Caramel will have to wait.”

Betty prepares the plate of brownies with constant comments of excitement from a child-like, impatient Jughead. It would be annoying if it weren’t so endearing and, well, _cute_. Serving him just 5 minutes after she removed them from the oven earns her an over-exaggerated, very whiny _finally_ , to which she just laughs at, telling him to tuck in before he fades away. 

The grin he sends her is one that feels so familiar, not just from their recent time together, but from one of the rare times back in Riverdale when his expression would change from its usual doom and gloom one. It’s one she’s sure she saw, probably in Pop’s, when he spent time with Archie and she with Kevin. She’s taken back to those days where he was just Jughead from school, or Jughead, Archie’s friend. Now, though, he’s Jughead the journalist, Jughead, Toni’s friend, Jughead the boy, no, _man_ she has a crush on. 

While lost in thought, Jughead - sitting-in-her-kitchen Jughead - has engulfed over half of the plateful of brownies, fruit and ice cream that sat in front of him. Hers, on the other hand, has a spoon digging into the edge of a brownie chunk, her hand holding it still without her realizing, like it’s stuck in time. 

Something that’s becoming a usual occurrence between them is Jughead’s voice snapping her out of whatever thought-induced haze she’s stuck in. And this time is no different. Of course, it’s a comment about food.

“If you don’t hurry up and eat that,” he says, barely comprehensible through a mouthful of food. “I won’t be responsible for my actions when I eat it for you.”

Betty giggles quietly, part of her still back in Riverdale and part of her trying not to get distracted by a different kind of _eating_ that his comment makes her think of. A laugh from Jughead prompts her to start eating dessert and drags her back to reality. They finish eating in a comfortable silence, except for when he steals the final strawberry off of her plate, extracting a fake gasp of shock from Betty. The pair of them end up in a pile of giggles for no particular reason, unable to speak from watering eyes and loud laughs. 

Eventually, their giggles subside and Betty moves to put the final dishes in to soak. She can sense Jughead’s gaze on the back of her head as she does so, and she thinks that the only time his eyes have moved off her this evening has been when he looked at the food instead. 

She twirls around and sure enough, his eyes are glued to her. “Hey, do you want to come and meet Caramel now?” she asks, trying her hardest to sound casual and unbothered by his gaze, when in reality she’s quite _hot and bothered_ by it. 

“Is that your way of inviting me to your room, Betty?” he says with a smirk.

_God-fucking-damnit that smirk_. 

Nope, can’t be distracted by his comments again. 

She takes a deep breath, allowing her eyes to flutter closed momentarily. Naturally, this doesn’t help, only allowing her a moment to imagine the things she wishes she could do. 

Jughead must notice as his now-nervous sounding voice cuts through the atmosphere. “Uh, I mean, yeah, I’d love to meet her.”

Opening her eyes, she sees him no longer smirking, hand fiddling with that strand of hair again. She smiles at him, hoping to help him relax again. “Come on, follow me.” 

And he does. She walks the short distance to her bedroom door, his footsteps following after her, while her brain practically screams at her to _say something, do something!_ And, oh boy, does she want to listen. 

They reach the door in just a few seconds. Her apartment isn’t that big, after all. But she finds herself wishing it _was_ bigger, just so she had more time to stop freaking out about having Jughead Jones in her bedroom. For all the wrong reasons. 

Hand ready to push open the door, she turns to him and decides to take a leap of fate. (He does, ultimately, keep reminding her that this _is_ fate.) 

“Just so you know, Jug, this isn’t the way I hoped to get you in my room.” 

She sends him an innocent grin too, just to top it off, before opening the door and entering. She doesn’t hear him follow her straight away, so when she sits next to Caramel on her bed, she turns to face him. 

His reaction is priceless. He stands just outside the room, face smothered in shock mixed with a grin. It looks as if he’s a character who’s been paused mid-scene, like he’s completely frozen, obviously not expecting anything like that from her. 

After around just 20 seconds but what feels like at least 10 minutes, Jughead unfreezes, entering her room and walking over to the bed, where the cat is laying. The look on his face doesn’t subside as quickly, though, making Betty _very_ pleased with herself. 

She doesn’t let him know that. “Jug, this is Caramel,” she says, completely unphased. 

He sits on her pink bed sheets and she’s suddenly aware of the contrast between him and her room, and in turn, him and _her_. Their differences are almost striking, but then she hears a soft _hello_ as he talks and gently strokes a sleepy Caramel and she realizes that perhaps they aren’t so different after all. Maybe on the face of things they are, but deep down, she knows his brooding exterior is just that - an exterior. 

Watching as he interacts with her now-purring cat, she can’t help but feel overwhelmed. In the space of just a few days, Jughead has made her feel so, well, happy. When she left Riverdale, she never wanted to go back or to have anything to do with anyone or anything there. Now, a boy she grew up with is in her apartment making her feel things she didn’t think was possible. She’s no longer in Riverdale and neither is he, but that town will forever tie them together. For the first time in forever, she thinks that perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing after all. 

“She’s lovely, Betty,” he beams, scratching that spot under Caramel’s chin that she just loves. 

With watery eyes, she takes in the scene once more. Jughead’s dark clothing contrasting with the pink of her bedding. The orange of the cat’s fur clashing with it all. It’s not perfect, not by a long shot and definitely not up to the standards she’d been brought up with. But Jughead’s smiling, Caramel’s purring, Betty is _happy_ and that’s perfect enough. 

–

For the rest of the evening, Betty basks in her happiness. She invites Jughead to watch the first episode of _The Confession Killer_ with her and he gleefully agrees. And that’s how she finds herself unintentionally cuddled up on the sofa with him. 

It starts off innocently enough, sitting just a couple of inches apart, but then she gets sleepy and allows herself to lean her head on his shoulder. Shortly after that, they’re full-on laying down cuddling, covered in a blanket and with Caramel sleeping on top of their intertwined legs. Betty’s never felt so cozy and comfortable, so much so that she can feel her eyes drooping closed. 

“Betty,” he whispers some time later, nudging her slightly. “Betty?”

She hums sleepily, not making an effort to open her eyes.

“Betty?” he says louder this time. 

“What?” she groans. Blinking in an attempt to clear her vision, she looks around, noticing that Jughead is now sitting next to her, instead of laying behind her. She can’t work out how he got up without disturbing her but then she notices that Caramel is curled up on his lap and _oh my God_ , she almost melts on the spot. And then he’s smiling at her. That cute, real smile that she’s gotten used to over the past few days. And, _fuck,_ she’s so gone for him.

“Hey. I’m sorry to wake you.” His voice is soft, his expression matching it, and he’s gently stroking Caramel’s orange fur. 

She rubs her eyes, wondering if she’s imagining this vision. Nope, he’s still there. “What time is it?” she croaks. 

“Almost midnight. I thought I’d better get home.”

Oh God. How is it midnight already? Did Betty really sleep for over 2 hours? 

On one hand, she’s kind of upset that she slept through some of her time with Jughead, especially after being so excited to see him, but on the other hand, cuddling with him is something she definitely wants more of. 

Betty struggles around, attempting to get up, but a hand on her shoulder stops her. 

“Stay there, Betty,” Jughead whispers, moving Caramel off his lap and standing up. “Thank you for tonight, I’ll see you soon.” 

His voice is so soft and soothing and Betty feels herself drifting back to sleep already. Eyes now closed, she hears him take a couple of steps and then stop. She wishes for her eyes to open so she can work out what he’s doing and maybe drag herself up to see him out but it doesn’t happen, they just won’t open. And then she feels him press a small kiss to her forehead and tuck the blanket around her and all intentions of getting up have flown out the window. 

The last thing she hears before falling back asleep is the quiet clicking of her front door as Jughead leaves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, so, what did you think? this fic turned into a kind of slow burn in terms of word count instead of time. is that a thing? oops. regardless, i'm sorry - we are definitely getting there. nevertheless, i hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> thank you for reading and thank you for leaving kudos & comments. please let me know what you think - i love reading your comments!!
> 
> until next time, lovely people


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of their dinner date leaves Betty in need of some advice from Toni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! welcome to one of my favorite chapters so far. lots of, uh, development, so strap yourselves in :D
> 
> enjoy - see you on the flipside

Betty wakes up confused. A quick glance around tells her that she’s in her living area. And it all comes flooding back to her. Jughead. Dinner. Cuddling. Oh, right. He’d left her with a soft kiss and she slid into a sleep filled with dreams about him. (Waking up without him was immensely disappointing, though, she must admit.)

The time on her phone reads 5:04, telling her she has at least 2 hours before she needs to get up for work. Moving right now almost seems as much as a chore as it did at midnight, so she rolls back over and manages to get an extra 90 minutes of sleep before she forces herself to get up. 

Getting through the morning in a haze, Betty does not get much work done. She hasn’t heard from Jughead since he left hers at midnight and she doesn’t know whether to message him or just leave it. Him and their evening yesterday play on her mind all morning, so during her lunch hour, she decides to take some time out and phone Toni. She’s sure she’ll have some unexplained knowledge and some wisdom to give to Betty.

She picks up on the second ring. “Hey, Coop.”

“Hi, Toni. You around for a chat?” Betty tries not to let her voice show her uneasiness, but of course that doesn’t work on Toni. 

“‘Course. What’s up?”

She sighs. “I think I’ve messed things up with Jughead.”

“Wait… Are you two, like, a thing?”

“No!” Betty unintentionally snaps. “Sorry. No, we’re not a thing.”

Toni hums thoughtfully. “So what’s there to mess up?”

“I really like him, Toni. But I think I… I don’t know, maybe escalated things too fast?”

“Did you sleep with him before you told him you like him?” Trust Toni to ask questions like that. 

“No! We haven’t even kissed yet.” Toni makes a noise of confusion. “Okay. What’s the problem, then?”

“We- I fell asleep cuddling him while watching Netflix and then when I woke up, we weren’t cuddling anymore and he just kind of left.” Saying it out loud, Betty begins to realize how stupid it is. But much to her delight, Toni doesn’t laugh at her.

“Oh, Betty,” she says softly. “You know, Jughead hasn’t stopped talking about you all morning. He keeps asking me if he should text you and if I know anything.” She pauses, taking a breath. “And I think that’s your answer.”

Betty smiles. “Yeah. Yeah, I think it is. Thanks, Toni.”

“Anytime, Cooper.”

Betty hangs up feeling a lot happier despite her moment of stupidity. After a moment of contemplation, she decides to bite the bullet, so they say, and text Jughead to invite him round tomorrow. She wants to clear the air, spend more time with him and maybe even kiss him. 

_B: Hey, Jug. If you’re around tomorrow evening, would you like to join me for takeout and Netflix? I promise not to fall asleep this time ;)_

He replies within less than a minute, and Betty thinks he must’ve been staring at his phone. 

_J: Yeah, that’d be great. I’ll be there after work. And don’t worry, I’ll sleep with you too._

Fuck. Betty tries not to focus too much on the implication of his last sentence but, well, _fuck_. Her mind has gone to inappropriate places for such a public place, but now she _really_ can’t wait for tomorrow. 

She sends him a short reply, trying to play it cool, and updates Toni, before heading back to work for the afternoon. 

The rest of Thursday and half of Friday blur into one. She has a breakthrough in the case about The Farm, one that her boss is very pleased about, so she gets a lot of writing done about that. So much so that on Thursday, she stays late.

With any spare time, she texts Jughead back and forth. Be it about her work, his work or just cute cat videos, their texting has gotten almost constant. Any time she looks at her phone, the likeliness is that a text from Jughead is waiting for her. And every time, they make her smile. He always manages to make her smile.

They text late into the night, with him accidentally letting slip that he was waiting for her to get home from work. In reply, she sends him a selfie of her and Caramel and a few choice emojis. Their conversation, as always, is light and easy, leaving Betty falling asleep happy and excited for the following day.

She wakes up early despite the late night and gets to work a full hour before necessary. The whole day is just as productive as the previous afternoon, so the time flies with little spare for her to worry about this evening. Leaving work early today, clawing back the extra hours she did, she gets home shortly before 4. She texts Jughead telling him to let her know when he leaves work and sets about doing some much-needed housework. 

An hour later and her house is clean. Not as spotless clean as Alice Cooper would want but thank God, she isn’t here to see. Betty changes into something more comfortable - leggings and an oversized hoodie - and sits down with Caramel, waiting for Jughead. 

Sure enough, his text alerts her of his incoming arrival just 40 minutes later and knock on the door comes shortly after and she jumps up excitedly, ready to see him again. 

She answers the door with a grin. “Hello again,” she says, pleased when his face matches hers.

He greets her with an unexpected kiss on the cheek and a lingering hug that makes her heart race. Then, she leads him into the living area, to the sofa where Caramel makes quick work of sitting on his lap. They discuss their days, as usual, before Jughead’s stomach starts to rumble.

“Of course you’re hungry,” she says, fondly rolling her eyes. 

“Betty, I haven’t eaten in at least 2 hours,” he replies dramatically. 

She laughs. “You’re worse than a child!” 

“Yep.” He pops the ‘p’ as if to prove her point. “So, what takeout do you usually get?”

“Anything really. You wanna choose?”

He shakes his head. “You know I don’t discriminate when it comes to food. Your choice.”

Betty laughs again. “Okay, how about… Chinese food?”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” At her questioning look, he continues. “Hey now, I don’t discriminate but I do have favorites.” 

She laughs affectionately, shaking her head. “Chinese it is.”

They place their order for far too much food that Betty will probably be eating it as leftovers for the next week. Some time later, it arrives, with Jughead answering the door, much to Betty’s delight. He re-enters the room holding armfuls of amazing-smelling food, and dumps it on the coffee table in front of her. 

“Plates?” she questions, to which he shakes his head at disapprovingly. So they eat out of the aluminum trays, use of cutlery only when entirely necessary, chatting about anything that comes to mind. The more casual arrangement leaves her even more comfortable than their previous dinner, and somehow more hopeful for what could possibly happen tonight.

After Jughead stuffs an impressive amount of takeout food into his face and Betty struggles to finish just one of her trays, she ends up laying on the sofa with her legs resting over Jughead’s lap. It’s somewhat of a familiar feeling, to be touching some part of him, one that she finds herself enjoying. He rubs gentle circles on her shin, leaving her feel even more relaxed and content, so she puts a random Netflix show on while they recover. 

A while later, they’ve watched two episodes of _Queer Eye_ and Betty jumps up, heading towards the kitchen.

“Want some wine?” she calls, straining her neck around to look at him. 

“Sure,” he replies simply. 

She grabs a bottle of red from the fridge and two random mugs and heads back to the sofa, sitting cross-legged facing him this time. Twisting open the cap, she pours them both a glass and takes a long sip from the cat mug. 

He picks up his own mug - covered in cute bees - and chuckles at it. “Wine glasses too much for you, huh?”

“Alice Cooper had to have sparkling clean wine glasses and hated patterned mugs,” she shrugs. “I get my rebellion in while I can.”

He nods acceptingly. “Cheers to that.” They clink their mugs, both taking long sips before setting them back down on the coasterless coffee table. 

Their evening continues on with more wine and a reluctant (on Jughead’s part) game of 21 questions. “Come on, Juggie,” she begs, nickname slipping out, her filter not fully working due to the wine. 

He doesn’t say no, and for some reason, she isn’t surprised. Has he ever really said _no_ to her?

“Go on, Cooper, show me what you have,” he says after five minutes of back and forth. 

And she does. They take it in turns asking questions about each other, developing a deeper understanding of one another. It quickly turns serious though, when Betty plucks up the courage to ask him about the Serpents. Much to her surprise, he doesn’t seem phased. Maybe it’s the wine, or perhaps it doesn’t bother him as much as it used to. 

When he answers, he tells her about his time as the gang’s leader during Senior year. A time that led to him not graduating and being held back a year. Luckily, he managed to secure a place at Yale for a year later, which was his ticket out of Riverdale after a summer filled with breaking links.

When she thinks back to graduation, she realizes he wasn’t there, which she now feels bad for not noticing before. “I’m sorry,” she tells him with a sad smile.

He must immediately understand what she means. “Hey,” he whispers, hand finding its way to her leg. “Things were- _We_ were different back then.”

She forces out a _yeah_ , feeling sadder than is probably necessary - another side effect of the wine she thinks. She’s avoiding his eye, instead focusing on a clump of cat fur on the carpet. But then she feels arms, _his_ arms, wrapping around her and pulling her closer. A kiss is pressed to her head and she feels all her worries and concerns fall out of her mind. “Thank you,” she whispers. 

They stay like that for a while - maybe too long for two so-called _just friends_. Eventually, they pull apart, staring at each with what seems like an equal amount of need. 

“Betty…” he breathes. 

And then he’s leaning in. She meets him in the middle and his lips press against hers in a soft but needy kiss. She kisses back with equal pressure, feeling like she’s on cloud nine. Maybe it’s the wine, maybe it’s the buildup from the past week, or maybe it really is fate, but when his lips touch hers, it feels as if everything falls into place. 

The kiss quickly gets needy, Betty letting out a short whine when she leans back to catch her breath. Jughead doesn’t let her lips leave his for long, almost immediately pressing them back together. He cups her face and she feels like she’s floating. And then, as if it’s beyond her control and purely based on instinct, she’s climbing on top of him, pushing him into a horizontal position and reconnecting their lips. 

_Knock-knock, knock-knock._

Betty practically jumps off of Jughead. He sits up, looking startled and dazed. He rubs the back of his neck, staring at her, questioning look in his eyes. The atmosphere between them suddenly feels tense and awkward and Betty debates how to tell him that the knock they just heard is Toni. 

Instead, she avoids his eyes and gestures towards the door, hoping that conveys the message. She takes the few steps towards it, away from his prying eyes. 

In the meantime, her brain is screaming at her. _What the fuck are you doing? Don’t make this awkward. This is all you’ve wanted for the past week! Don’t mess it up!_

She takes a deep breath. Making a split decision, she runs back into the lounge. Jughead is sitting up, staring blankly ahead. His hair is ruffled, adorably so, and clothes creased slightly. She grins at the sight in front of her. “Hey, Jug?” she calls from the doorway. 

He snaps his head around to look at her. “Hmm?” 

She giggles slightly. “This is Toni, so I’d better answer, but… to be continued?”

“To be continued,” he smiles. 

Glad to have cleared the air slightly, she almost skips back to the front door, opening it to a smirking Toni. 

“‘Sup, Cooper. Is now a good time?”

Knowing the game Toni is trying to play, she moves aside and allows Toni in. “Uh huh. Jughead’s here so you can join us for some wine.”

Toni walks straight through to where Jughead is sitting. “Jones,” she says by way of a greeting, plonking herself next to him. 

“Hey, Toni,” he replies, shifting around, eyes finding Betty as she walks in.

Betty busies herself in the kitchen but she can feel the gaze of both people on her back. She finds another bottle of wine and a mug for Toni and reenters the living area. Perching on the abandoned footstool, she slides the spare mug across the coffee table to Toni and fills all 3 of them up. 

Toni picks hers up, raising it in the air. “To us,” she proposes.

Betty risks a glance at Jughead, who does the same, before they both raise their mugs to Toni’s. “To us.”

They all sip their drinks, and Betty finds herself being slightly confused by Toni’s presence. Instead of allowing it to manifest in her mind, she just asks. “So, Toni, what brings you here?”

Jughead stifles a laugh, obviously sensing Betty’s slight annoyance. 

“Well, I _was_ going to invite you out, but you look perfectly comfortable here,” Toni tells her, faux innocent smile plastered on her face. 

Betty manages to keep up the facade for a while, engaging both Toni and Jughead in conversations about anything she can think of from Cheryl to their current article at work. It works, for some time, but with each passing minute, she finds herself getting increasingly impatient. She loves Toni, she really does, but right now, all she wants is to kiss Jughead again. 

Eventually, Toni must get tired of Betty’s lack of willingness to play her game. Betty knows she wants her to tell her to go, or to give her some indication of the situation, but she doesn’t. So Toni excuses herself, bidding goodbye to Jughead, who awkwardly waves.

Betty sees her out. At the door, Toni winks at her, saying, “Enjoy the rest of your night, Cooper. I expect an update soon.” 

“And you will get one all in good time,” Betty grins, and that seems to be enough for now. 

Toni leaves with a smirk on her face, and Betty’s glad that any lingering awkwardness between them seems to have gone. She knows Toni doesn’t actually mind. In all likeliness, she probably just came round to mess with her or to catch her out. _She almost did, to be fair_ , Betty thinks. 

Afterwards, Betty heads back to Jughead with an air of uncertainty following her. She thinks they need to have a conversation before allowing things to escalate any further, and she thinks that needs to happen sooner rather than later. 

“Hey,” he says, nerves evident in his voice. 

It makes her smile, to be honest, hearing the nerves in his voice. Just a week ago in JFK airport, she’d thought he’d become this new, confident being, but as time went on, she’s realized that it isn’t as real as he’d like. It seems as if he’s trying to _fake it ‘til you make it_ yet sometimes that pretense slips. Like now. 

She sits next to him, leaving what she thinks is an appropriate gap between them, as much as her brain tells her not to. “Can we-” She pauses, fiddling with the edge of her hoodie. “Can we talk?”

He smiles softly. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” His left hand is stroking Caramel, who must’ve climbed back into his lap somewhere between Toni leaving and Betty reentering the room, and his right is resting in the gap between them. 

She thinks she sees his hand twitch slightly, so she takes the leap and picks it up in her hand. She threads their fingers together and rests their hands on her lap, grateful when he squeezes in response. 

“Betty,” he whispers, eyes meeting hers. “I really like you.”

And that’s exactly what she wanted to hear. Her face breaks out in a grin, unable to contain her happiness and relief. “I really like you, too. If you hadn’t already noticed.”

He smirks. “I had an inkling.”

At that, Betty leans forward, bringing her spare hand up to cup his cheek, and presses her lips to his once again. He kisses back immediately, the feeling of his lips against hers already becoming something she wants to get used to. She tries to lean forward even more, but then something moves between them. 

Pulling herself back with a sigh, she notices an orange blur run out of the room, and then she remembers that Caramel was on his lap. 

She looks over at him and he looks back and they both start giggling. The more they maintain eye contact, the more they giggle. Tears in her eyes, she thinks she’s calmed down but she looks over at Jughead and they both start laughing again. The sound is pure happiness between them and it’s amazing. 

A full ten minutes of laughing later, they manage to calm down, quietness settling around them. 

Jughead is first to speak. “Can I tell you something else?” he says in a small voice, eyes looking down instead of up at her. 

“Of course.”

He takes a deep breath, moving his eyes up to tentatively look at her, so she sends him a small smile, hoping to calm his evident nerves. 

“I really liked you in high school,” he tells her. “I… I knew I’d never have a shot, and the rumors said you liked Archie and I thought ‘Why would she even look at me next to him?’ but with time, I realized the rumors were wrong. And I guess I was wrong in the end.”

She grins. “Can I get that in writing?” 

His face clouds over with confusion. “What? That I liked you?”

“That you were wrong.” 

He gasps and clutches his chest, trying to be serious but laughing anyway. “Betty Cooper. I am offended.” 

She just shrugs her shoulders and laughs in response. 

“You know…” he says, smirking. “Maybe I _was_ wrong. I liked you back then but maybe I don’t anymore.”

Trying to pout at him, it turns into a smile. “Take that back, Jones.”

“Make me.” 

And she does. She leans over, forcefully pressing her lips to his. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind, kissing back with equal pressure. She feels his hands move up and thread through her hair as she commits the feeling of his lips to memory. 

The rest of the evening is spent with less chat and more kissing. Betty feels herself slowly becoming addicted to the way she feels when he kisses her. His lips smoother than she imagined, his hands finding their way into her hair or cupping her face, it’s nothing short of _perfect_. 

As much as she wants to take things further, and _fuck_ does she want to, she decides to hold off for tonight at least. She tells him as much and of course, he’s understanding and in agreement. But she does ask him to stay over. 

“Do you want to… stay?” she asks. 

He looks at her blankly. 

“You can take the bed and I can take the sofa. Or, um, we can- We can share, if you’d like. It’s just- it’s late and uh-” She knows she’s rambling but his face is almost expressionless and she panics. 

“Betty.” He reaches out and settles one of his hands on her shoulder, and she feels herself relax almost immediately. “I would love to stay and I would love to sleep in your bed. _With_ you.”

Instead of replying, she lets him close the gap between the lips once more. 

Around 1 am, Betty declares it time for bed. She fishes out a spare toothbrush for Jughead and they take it in turns to use the bathroom. She changes into her usual pajamas - a pair of shorts and an old Riverdale high t-shirt - and tries not to think too much about her choice while brushing her teeth. 

When it’s Jughead’s turn, she hands him another of her oversized Riverdale high t-shirts, overly aware of the fact that he’ll be wearing just that and boxers while in bed with her. Not that she’s complaining about that thought, just… aware. 

She sits cross-legged on her bed, with Caramel curled up on a pile of clothes in the corner of her room, and decides to text Toni and Veronica the update they so desire. 

_B: We kissed._

Short and simple. She hopes that’ll be enough. 

_T: I KNEW something had been going on when I came round earlier._

_V: WHAT??? B, I’m so happy for you!!_

_T: C’mon, there must be more to spill than that._

Oh. Not enough then. 

_B: That’s all you’re getting for now._

_V: ;)_

_T: That means there IS more then…_

She hears the bathroom door open and then close, so quickly sends one final text before he reaches her room. 

_B: Talk later xoxo_

Her phone buzzes right after she puts it down, so she silences it just as her bedroom door opens. Enters an adorably sleepy looking Jughead in just a t-shirt and boxers, armed with a pile of folded clothes. 

She smiles at him, shuffling over to her usual side of the bed. She pulls back the covers and pats the side next to her as she climbs under, watching as he carefully places the pile on her dresser. When he turns around, she gestures for him to join her once more. So he does. Climbing into her bed and under the covers without a word. Following her lead, he shimmies down, pulling the covers over his shoulders. 

She shifts around to turn her bedside lamp off, and then lays so she’s facing him, just about able to make out the features of his face through the darkness of the room. The lack of light makes his face look soft, softer than usual if that’s possible, and she has the urge to reach out and touch it. 

_Oh,_ she thinks, _I guess I can now._

It feels weird to follow the urge, to reach out and cup his face as she whispers into the darkness. “Hi.”

He also shifts onto his side to face her, his cheek now leaning on her hand. “Hi,” he whispers back. And after a moment, “This is nice.” 

“Yeah, it is,” she agrees, smiling softly. Even though it’s dark and he most likely can’t see, she can’t help herself. “I’m really nervous though.” 

“Why?” He moves off of her hand and brings his own up to thread their fingers together, resting on the space on his pillow between them. 

She sighs, but not sadly. “I don’t want to mess anything up.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” 

“Of course,” she says immediately.

“This has been my dream since we were 16 and I don’t think there’s anything you can do that would mess this up.” 

She feels herself blush, thankful for the darkness of the room. “I’m sorry it took so long, but I’m glad you’re here, Jug.”

He presses a kiss to her hand that’s intertwined with his. “That day in the airport, when I told you it was fate-” He pauses, all of his usual teasing or confident tint to his voice gone, and swallows. “I was joking, at the time, but… I think there might have been some truth to it. Or so I hope, anyway.” 

His genuineness really gets to her, eyes tearing up. “I think you might be right,” she says quietly. 

Instead of saying anything else, she leans over their tangled hands and brings their lips together once more. It’s soft and gentle, yet still filled with the same amount of passion as before. She tries to put everything she’s got into it, and she thinks he’s doing the same. 

They kiss in the safety of the darkness of her room for a few minutes before Betty pulls away and lays her head on his chest, moving their hands to rest on his stomach but ensuring they stay clasped together. 

“Night, Betty,” he whispers, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“Goodnight, Juggie,” she mumbles before allowing herself to fall asleep in the comfort of his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what did you think? i really hope you enjoyed it :')
> 
> the betty/toni friendship isn't something we get in the show so it's an interesting one to write about in an au where they're friends through choice. i hope i've done it justice in the way i set out to do.
> 
> thank you for reading this chapter. i'd love to read about your opinions in the comments :)) we still have a way to go in this little universe yet (i'm not ready to abandon it tbh) so keep an eye out for future chapters.
> 
> stay safe - until next time, people


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days after their first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe we're on chapter 9 already!! i hope you're enjoying this story and i hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Waking up the following morning wrapped in Jughead’s arms is something Betty could definitely get used to. She awakes before him with him now playing the big spoon, curled around her. In the small space between their legs, Caramel lays, enjoying the comfort of the bed and the company of two of her favorite people. Fresh daylight filters in through the gaps in the curtains, giving the room a warm, comforting feeling. Pair that with her pure elation from the events of the previous night and Betty feels, to say the least, rather happy. 

She basks in the moment for a while longer until Jughead naturally starts to stir. 

“Hey,” he mumbles into her hair, voice thick with sleep. “What time is it?”

“Around 10.”

He hums in response, his arms wrapping tighter around her as if to say that he doesn’t want her to move. She doesn’t want to move either, so she wriggles into him, clinging onto the arm of his that she’s laying on.

“I wish we could stay here forever,” he whispers, sincerity flooding his voice.

“We might not be able to stay here forever, but we can for a little while longer.” She kisses his arm. “Or, until you get hungry.”

He chuckles. “I’m not sure I’d move for food, to be honest. I’m too comfy with you.”

Betty’s heart swells at his words. God, he’s just incredible. “Mm, me too,” she tells him, pulling the covers further up and over them.

They stay there for the rest of the morning, cuddling up with each other and with Caramel. In between mumbles of cautious sweet nothings, soft kisses are stolen and giggles are shared. It’s wonderful and Betty can’t help but feel as if it’s a glimpse of what her future holds. 

Around mid-afternoon, Jughead stomach rumbles during an accidentally make-out session. 

“Guess that’s our cue to get up,” Betty giggles, untangling herself from him and the covers, but careful not to disturb Caramel who is still sleeping at the end of the bed. 

Jughead groans. “No! Not yet!” 

Now standing at her bedroom door, she just laughs. “You can have an extra 10 minutes while I use the bathroom, but after that, I’m dragging you up so we can go get breakfast.”

He sits up, rubbing his eyes. “Okay. But it’s lunch time.”

Betty shrugs. “Brunch, then.” She takes a few things out of her drawers and heads into the bathroom. 

10 minutes later, she returns dressed in a pair of dungaree shorts and a pale yellow t-shirt, perfect for what looks like a lovely sunny day. Her hair is up in a messy bun and she went with subtle, natural-looking makeup, not planning on spending too much time outside today. 

And as promised, she tells Jughead to get up. “Come on, you, I’m hungry now.” 

He looks up from where he’s sitting, not laying, on the bed, stroking Caramel in a gentle manner. His face immediately morphs into a smile. “Wow, Betty. You look beautiful.”

She feels herself blush, smiling back bashfully and looking at the floor. “Thank you.”

Jumping out of bed, he speeds across the room to the doorway and leans down to kiss her. He holds her face, deepening the kiss for a moment, and she kisses back, smiling into it. They pull back at the same time, holding tightly onto each other, just staring into each other’s eyes and grinning. 

“Hi,” he beams. 

“Hi,” she says, mirroring his expression. 

He tucks a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. “I could get used to this.”

“Yeah, me too,” she grins, burying herself in his chest, his arms tighten around her.

“Can I- I mean, it might be, uh, too soon, but, can I ask you something?” He sounds nervous.

She moves back, still in his arms but now looking at him. “Of course.”

He takes a deep breath. “Does this-” He gestures between them. “-mean I can… call you my girlfriend?”

She grins. “Jughead Jones, is this your way of asking me out?”

“I think it is.”

“I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

It’s his turn to grin this time, once again closing the gap between their lips. His stomach rumbles again though, interrupting them. They both pull back, laughing.

She jokingly wacks his arm. “Go get dressed and we can get you some food.”

“Okay,” he laughs, giving her a chaste kiss before he grabs his clothes and wanders off towards the bathroom. 

–

A while later, they’re heading out of Betty’s apartment and down the street towards the bakery that sits just a few blocks away. It’s one of her favorites, selling the most amazing freshly made baked goods, and she thought Jughead’s insatiable appetite would appreciate it. 

They walk the short journey hand in hand, no pretense about it anymore. It feels good, it feels really good, Betty thinks, to be able to do this now. And if she really wants, she can lean up and kiss him. In fact, she does, stopping in her tracks - and him in the process - just so she can press a soft kiss to his cheek. 

His smile in response makes it all worth it. 

Arriving at the bakery a few minutes later, Betty greets the staff with a genuine smile. The pair pick out a couple items each, putting them in paper bags and handing them to the staff, where Betty insists she pays and Jughead reluctantly gives in. 

Basking in both sunlight and their newfound relationship, a smile does not leave Betty’s face as they head towards a local park area, still hand in hand. They find a picnic bench, where they sit to share their delicious baked goods. It’s a perfect afternoon, really. A perfect, first afternoon _together_. 

–

Betty invites Jughead to stay again that evening, even if it’s against her better judgment. She knows he’ll have to go home tomorrow night, and decides she might as well enjoy this early relationship haze while she can. Of course, he accepts and she’s happy that he seems just as excited about this as she is. She feels like a giddy teenager. One who, back in Riverdale, would’ve been dreaming about a certain ginger boy, rather than cuddling with his best friend. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you when we were younger,” she tells him sadly, when they’re laying in bed later that night. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” he reassures, gently stroking her hair. “Honestly, I’m kind of glad you didn’t.”

Her face screws up in confusion. “Why?”

“Well,” he sighs. “With the Serpent’s and everything, I wasn’t the greatest person. And I think the past 5 years did me some good. I sorted myself out, hopefully became better.”

She smiles. “If it means anything, I think you’re amazing.” 

He sends her a toothy grin. “Besides, fate, eh?”

“Whatever you say, Jug,” she replies with a smile and affectionate eye roll. 

They share a few soft kisses afterwards, allowing for feelings to develop deep within. Even though it’s just been a handful of days since they found each other again, Betty can’t help but think that Jughead’s right, that they _are_ meant to be. Everything with him feels so _right_. 

That night, she falls asleep with a smile on her face, wrapped in his arms once again. 

–

Sunday is spent in a similar fashion to Saturday. They enjoy their time together, trading kisses and sweet nothings, watching shitty Netflix films and eating days-old takeout food. It’s a day Betty hopes for many of in the future. Just them and Caramel, perhaps even a dog one day.

The day flies by a lot quicker than either of them hope. Aware of the impending separation, a tinge of sadness shadows over their afternoon. They’re cuddled up on the sofa, watching more of _The Confession Killer_ when Betty decides to bring up what she knows they’re both thinking.

She pauses the show, sitting up. “Jug?” 

He hums his reply, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“I know it’s early on, but… are we going to tell people? I mean, specifically Toni. She’s my best friend and you work with her and-”

He smiles softly, threading their fingers together. “I’m sure Toni at least suspects already.” 

She blushes. “I might have already told her that we kissed. Her and Veronica. I’m sor-”

“Hey!” he interrupts, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “No apologizing. I’m _happy_ I don’t have to pretend to Toni that we aren’t together.”

“So you’re okay if I tell them officially?”

“Of course. But, uh, can we hold off telling our parents?”

“Definitely,” she grins. “I do not want the wrath of Alice Cooper to ruin this.”

“You know, Betty, nothing can ruin this.” He leans over and closes the gap between them, allowing for all her worries to wash away. 

Later that evening, around 9 pm, Jughead makes an attempt to leave, much to the protest of Betty. She knows, though, that he has to go. They both have work tomorrow and she has things to do beforehand, but she just doesn’t want him to go. 

Eventually, she lets him, albeit rather reluctantly. Sharing passionate kisses, she pushes him up against the door in the hope that he’ll change his mind, even if she knows she shouldn’t let him. He doesn’t, telling her that he’ll see her soon and promises to text her even sooner. She wishes him a good day at work, giving him one final kiss before he leaves with a sad smile and small wave. 

With a sigh, she closes the door behind him, making her way back to the sofa while she decides how to tell her two friends about the latest development in her relationship. 

Luckily, before she has much time to think about it, her phone dings with a text. 

_V: Urgent facetime chat in 5 mins. Both needed. Nothing bad!_

Oh. Okay. That’s weird. She’s glad it’s nothing bad, thinking that maybe this could be a good time to update them, too. She quickly grabs a glass of water before positioning herself on the sofa with Caramel and her laptop. 

Exactly 5 minutes later, an incoming FaceTime call to both her and Toni flashes up on her laptop. She accepts immediately, as does Toni on the other end, and within seconds, the three of them are connected.

The first few minutes of their conversation covers the usual small talk - _how are you, how’s it going, how was your weekend_ \- yet it quickly turns to the real reason they’re all here. 

“So, V, what’s your big news?” Toni asks, less than casual. 

“Ah! Yes! My news!” she exclaims. “I hope you’re both sitting down.” 

Betty hums in agreement, moving her webcam to show them she is. Toni does the same, making her giggle.

“I’m coming to visit! I’m coming to Seattle!” She’s grinning, holding a very large glass of wine up to the camera. 

“Oh my god, that’s amazing!” Betty beams. 

Toni gasps. “Are you serious? We’re gonna meet in person?”

Veronica nods excitedly. “Yes! I arrive on Thursday for 3 meetings, so I was hoping we could meet up on Friday?”

“Yes!” Toni squeals. “We can make a night of it. Get ready together, go to a club. I can invite Cheryl, too!”

Betty cannot stop grinning. Not only does she now _have a fucking boyfriend_ , but her two best friends are also finally going to be in the same place. “Wow, I can’t wait,” she says, shock showing in her voice. “It’ll be like the high school times we never had together.”

“Exactly!” The 3 of them spend a while discussing details for Veronica’s trip, going through everything they have to do together. She tells them she’s leaving on Sunday evening, meaning they have a whole weekend to make plans for. Toni gives suggestions of bars, while Veronica mentions a spa day. It’s something Betty’s wanted for a long time, the 3 of them all together, and she can’t quite believe it’s happening. 

But before she can get ahead of herself, she needs to tell them her own news. 

“Hey, guys?” she interrupts, realizing she’d zoned out momentarily. “I need to tell you something.” Her voice is laced with unusual concern. She isn’t sure why she is so worried - her friends are undoubtedly going to be nothing but over the moon. Perhaps it’s the thought of ruining what she thinks her and Jughead have by letting other people in, or perhaps she’s just being stupid. 

Veronica is first to answer, with Toni humming her response. “Sure, B. What’s up?” She sounds concerned, too, but Betty puts that down to not knowing what she’s about to say. 

Taking a deep breath, she thinks _fuck it_ and blurts it out. “I’m dating Jughead. Like, officially.”

Her last words are barely audible as her friends scream in delight. Veronica’s half of the screen is blurry, with the clip-clapping of her heels over her shrieks suggesting that she’s running around. Toni’s, on the other hand, gives Betty a lovely view of her ceiling, right before she sees the underneath of her chin picking up her dropped phone. She’s grinning, when she comes back into view, as is Veronica when she eventually stops speeding around. This makes Betty grin, too, and any worries she had previously are quickly forgotten. 

“Betty!!” Veronica squeals, jumping up and down. “I’m so happy for you!!”

Toni is smirking now, because _of course_ she is. “Me too, Cooper. You got yourself a good one there.”

Blushing, Betty feels an overwhelming feeling of happiness. “Thank you, guys. Your approval means a lot.” 

“Oh my god! Can I meet him on Friday?” Trust Veronica’s timing to be perfect. 

She rolls her eyes. “I’ll ask if he can come and let you know.” 

That earns her another excited squeal. 

“This is gonna be amazing,” Toni chirps. “You guys, me, Cheryl, Jughead, and oh! We’ll have to find you someone, V.”

“Maybe a nice Seattle person will be able to convince me to move.”

Betty giggles. “We wish.” 

For the next twenty minutes, the girls excitedly discuss plans for the upcoming weekend. Deciding on going to a local bar on Friday evening, they make plans to get ready together at Betty’s apartment before hopefully meeting Cheryl and Jughead at the bar for a night out. The thought makes Betty equally thrilled and nervous. She knows Veronica is going to be _very_ critical of Jughead, but at least Toni likes him, so she has hope Veronica will too. 

After planning, Betty bids goodbye to her two friends, telling them she will _see_ them both soon with a big grin. She spends an hour or so sorting out a few things for work tomorrow before getting ready for bed and snuggling down with Caramel. It’s later than she’d hoped, but she’s _happy_ so it doesn’t matter. 

Speaking of happy, her phone buzzes with a text from a certain somebody that makes her very happy.

_J: Toni just messaged me saying ‘good one’ so I guess you told her?_

She smiles. That’s so like Toni.

_B: Yep. Both very happy for us._

_J: I’m happy too :)_

God, Betty feels so gone for him already. Unable to hold back, she rings him, ignoring the time. 

He picks up almost immediately. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she grins. “Sorry that it’s so late.”

“I’m always glad to hear from you,” he says, shrugging almost audibly. “So, Toni and Veronica took it well?”

“Better than expected.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s really good, Betty.”

“Speaking of,” she starts. “Veronica’s coming to visit at the end of the week and she’d like to meet you.” When he doesn’t reply, she continues. “I mean, if it’s too soon or if you’re busy…”

“No! I mean,” he interrupts. “I’d love to.”

She smiles, taking him through the details of Veronica’s visit and their Friday evening plan. “...so, if you’re up for it, we’re going to The Toledo. I’ll text you when nearer the time.” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” He sounds genuine, albeit slightly hesitant, understandably so. 

She glances at the time, not having noticed just how late it is. “Ah, Jug, I’m sorry, I better go to sleep now. Early start and all.”

“Of course.” He pauses. “I miss you,” he says in a small voice. 

“I miss you, too,” she whispers back. 

She can hear his smile. “Sleep well, Betty, I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Goodnight.” 

She hangs up, feeling even lighter than before, falling asleep almost immediately after. She dreams of Jughead and the past few days together. When she wakes up in the early hours, she’s disappointed he isn’t there, arms wrapped around her, gentle snores filling the room. It takes her a while to get back to sleep, but when she does, her dreams are, once again, occupied by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh, so what did you think? sorry for the shorter chapter. i'm kind of bad at writing long chapters tbh, so i'm sorry :D
> 
> isn't veronica just the most extra? i love writing OTT!veronica and the betty/toni/veronica friendship we don't get in canon. 
> 
> btw- i've almost finished writing this fic but updates will be coming for a while still. it's almost 54k now so i hope you look forward to the rest of my story. 
> 
> thank you for reading and thank you for any kudos and comments - ao3 emails are getting me through this lockdown 
> 
> stay safe & see you soon


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little background into Betty's job with Jughead being the supportive boyfriend he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello lovely people! 
> 
> i thought i'd upload this chapter a bit earlier today after the shitstorm of the leaked article. if you know what i'm talking about, how are you doing? honestly, i'm sad and disappointed in the writers and their lack of awareness for 4 seasons of relationship and character development. here's to hoping it isn't as bad as it sounds (although there isn't much hope left for me)
> 
> anyway, i have officially finished writing this fic (luckily, i finished writing it yesterday before such events). just editing and polishing left to do, so chapters will continue to be uploaded twice a week - mondays and thursday. 
> 
> this chapter has some soft bughead that i hope you enjoy through these strange times both in riverdale world and the real world. see you on the flip side

Betty’s week is busy. Busier than she’d expected. She reaches a breakthrough point on her research on The Farm, leading to an unplanned two-night trip to Victoria, just over the Canadian border. Reports say that an unnamed cult set up shop in the city and it looks suspiciously similar to the one Betty is following. Activities include recruiting vulnerable people, promises of healing luring people in, before eventually ‘ascending’. Currently, Betty is unsure what exactly that means, but that’s what she’s been tasked to find out. She’s working alongside the FBI, too, which can be stressful, but she’s doing her best to get to the bottom of this before they move to Seattle, like her intel suggests. 

So she’s left with very little free time. Before this stage in her investigation, she’d been left working usual hours, researching from the comfort of her desk in Seattle, but part of the job is the random calls to travel for information. All expenses paid for, so she can’t (and won’t) complain too much. Plus, it’s _fun_. 

As it’s paid for by her company, she takes a short flight early Tuesday morning and arrives in Victoria just after 10 am. It’s a day that includes a lot of rushing around from place to place, using public transport she doesn’t fully understand before giving up and using the company credit card to pay for taxis. Even though it’s jam-packed full, her day is good and more productive than she would’ve thought. She works late, finally making it to her hotel at 8 to start a write-up of some of the most pressing details she uncovered during the day.

Collapsing on the bed, she allows herself a moment or so to just _breathe_. It doesn’t last long, though, her mind whirling with ideas for her writing, so she quickly sets up a makeshift desk on the dressing table of the hotel room. 

An hour later, she’s written a large chunk of what she wanted to from her adventures today. Deciding she deserves a break after all of that, she orders room service and lays on her bed, the perfect idea of how to relax popping into her head. 

It only takes 3 rings for him to pick up. “Hey, Betty.”

She smiles at her boyfriend’s voice. (Her _boyfriend_!) “Hi, Jug. How are you?”

“Better now I’m talking to you.” He giggles at himself. “Sorry.”

She laughs too. “Don’t worry, it’s true for me, too.”

“How’s Victoria?” 

His genuine interest in her never fails to surprise her. Usually, she’d feel like people were asking out of obligation and didn’t really want to know the answer, but with him, she knows he actually cares. So she tells him almost everything about her day, about the case. She reads him what she’s written so far, interrupted halfway when her room service pizza arrives, but he asks her to continue and she _does_. 

Once she finishes, he gives her a shower of praise and a few small constructive criticisms that she’s eternally grateful for. She then asks him about his day to which he enthusiastically takes her through, explaining about his own article with Toni.

“The teasing comments are almost non-stop, Betty. Is she always like this?” he jokes.

She chuckles. “I mean, you’re my first boyfriend since moving to Seattle so I think it’s a bit of a novelty for her. You just get the brunt of it because she sees you more than me.”

“Lucky me.” His eye roll is practically audible, but he laughs anyway. “It’s nice, though. It’s nice that she’s so supportive.”

“Yeah, it is,” Betty agrees, chewing on a slice of now-cold pizza. “By the way, Veronica is likely to give you a grilling on Friday, so don’t get too used to the support.” She means it lightheartedly, but also, it’s true. A lighthearted warning, if you will. 

“Oh god,” he groans. “Do you think she’ll like me?” 

Betty thinks she will. Especially since Toni does. Veronica tends to be more critical to begin with, but she thinks once she gets to know him, there isn’t anything she can possibly dislike about him. Knowing Veronica, it’ll be things like his plaid shirts rather than _he’s rude, Betty! Did you hear the way he just spoke to me?_ like she’d said about a boy in college Betty dated for all of a fortnight. 

This time, she’s almost certain it’ll be different. “I do, Jug, I really do,” she reassures him. 

“Good, because _I_ really like _you_ , Betty.” 

She grins uncontrollably, wishing he was here to see her reaction in person. The word _love_ pops into her mind, but she quickly pushes it away, certain it’s too soon for that. “Well, I really like you, too, Jug.”

He lets out a breathy laugh. “Honestly, 16 year old me would be dying right now if he knew.” 

“I’m glad to be fulfilling the dreams of 16 year old Jughead Jones.”

“And 23 year old Jughead Jones,” he adds, smile evident in his voice. 

“That too.” She shifts around on the bed, grinning to herself at how lucky she’s gotten. She can’t quite believe how much things have changed since high school, yet the boy she used to walk past in the hallways has become the man she doesn’t stop thinking about. 

They talk for a little longer, letting time get away from them. It’s getting later and later but Betty really doesn’t want to hang up just yet. She has another early morning and long day, though, so she bids him goodnight, albeit very reluctantly. 

“Sleep well, Betty,” he says softly. “Good luck at work.” 

He hangs up before she can reply, leaving her feeling equally happy and upset. She misses him, she’d rather be wrapped up in bed with him, but she enjoys speaking to him and she’s immensely happy with how her work day has gone. 

She makes a few corrections on her article that he’d suggested and finishes her pizza before she hops in the shower quickly and finally flops into bed. It’s past midnight now, and she has to be up at 6, yet she takes the time to send Jughead a sleepy selfie and goodnight text, knowing he’ll appreciate it. 

–

The following morning, she wakes up to a series of text messages. 

First, in response to her selfie, is Jughead.

_J: You’re adorable_

_J: I wish I could be with you_

_J: I miss you_

The next message accompanies a photo of him, similar to hers.

_J: Goodnight <3_

Her eyes rake over the image. He’s laying in bed, messy, sleepy hair she learned to adore over the weekend. The lighting is dark, a soft glow coming from what must be his bedside lamp. It offers an intimateness she now craves. And she can’t help but note his lack of t-shirt. It only shows his shoulders yet it’s enough to get her wanting to see more. It’s a sight she definitely wants to wake up to again. 

_B: Morning, Jug. I miss you too_

She ends her message with a series of heart emojis, and even though it’s probably a little much, she just can’t help herself. 

The next message is a photo of Caramel and Toni.

_T: Fluffball misses you_

Betty smiles. She feels incredibly lucky to have a friend like Toni.

After a moment of reflection on her life, she drags herself out of bed and up for the day.

Her day running around the city of Victoria is just as eventful as the previous one. She meets up with a former member of the cult who tells her of the difficulties she faced getting out and some of the inside workings she felt comfortable telling Betty. Surprisingly, she ended up being a lot more helpful than suspected, leading Betty on what could’ve been a wild goose chase of former cult members and relatives. 

Late afternoon, she manages to get hold of the brother of a member. What he tells her has her shocked. He tells her that his mother joined the cult after his father left her in the hope of being healed. All usual stuff, to begin with. Then, he drops the bomb that she almost drowned during the so-called baptism into the cult. She ended up in hospital, but after various complications, she died just over a week later. 

Now, this was _not_ what Betty was expecting to find out on this trip. 

After she profusely thanks for his time and information and sends her deepest condolences, she gets on the phone to her FBI contact, telling him everything. She is advised to continue working on the case in Victoria for the day to find out anything else she can and return to Seattle the following morning for a formal meeting to see if they can get the go ahead for the next stage of their plan.

And she does exactly that. She contacts a few more people via cell phone, gaining no new information, only repetitions for what she’s been told before. That’s a win, though, as it gives her data more credibility - something her team will be pleased with. 

Later that evening, when she’s back in her hotel room for the night, she calls Jughead with an update. It seems to be something that’s becoming a ritual. Or at least she hopes it is. It’s a little something keeping them connected even when they can’t be together like she wishes. 

She reads him her updated article whilst laying in bed. She imagines that one day she’ll be able to read it to him with him laying next to her instead of miles away on the other end of the phone. In this imaginary situation, Caramel is curled up with them and afterwards, Betty can kiss him in response to his comments. 

In reality, she finishes reading and politely listens to his opinion. This time, he gives only good comments.

“Wow, Betty, that’s amazing,” he tells her. 

She smiles to herself. “Thanks, Jug.”

“ _You’re_ amazing,” he throws back. 

And that’s something she’s learned about him since making their relationship official. He seems to be a big fan of words of affection. Whenever possible, he compliments her, shows her some form of endearment. It’s something that never fails to make her blush, regardless of whether he can see her or not. 

This time is no exception. A light blush spreads across her face along with a giddy smile. “And so are you.” 

He giggles softly in response. “Hey, it’s getting late,” he says. “You need to get some sleep, okay?”

She sighs. He’s right, of course he is. “Okay.”

They exchange a few more sweet words before hanging up on whispered _goodnight I miss you_ ’s and falling asleep wishing empty space was filled with the warmth of the other person. 

–

Thursday starts with a very early flight out of Victoria and back to Seattle. Betty is up far earlier than she’d like, rushing around her hotel room to ensure she has everything. Unlike her last flight home, she doesn’t almost miss it, arriving with just enough time for a coffee. 

She works on her article on the flight, making changes here and there and adding to it where she can. Before she knows it, the short flight is over and she’s back in Seattle. She drives from the airport straight to her office, with no spare time to head home beforehand and luckily just enough time to text Toni asking if she could feed Caramel this morning as she’s expecting another long day.

Arriving at the office at just after 11, her team are awaiting her arrival to get started with the meeting. She outlines her findings from Victoria to everyone, voicing her worries about the cult. Her manager seems impressed with her work, while the FBI seem to share her concerns. Together, they come up with a plan, starting with sending Betty’s article on to a contact in British Columbia to read over while the FBI collaborate with them to hopefully be able to raid the cult’s headquarters and shut them down. Her manager gives her a deadline of 9 pm to perfect the article before it’s sent off, so she immediately sets to work on that.

After that, Betty works non-stop all afternoon, with most of her co-workers leaving around 5 or 6, leaving her to it. She works until 8 that evening. Somehow, her boss is still there, so she emails the completed article to her and makes her way into her glass office. 

They chat for a bit, as her boss skims the article, telling her that it looks very good and she’ll have it sent off immediately. 

“Thank you,” Betty says politely, turning around to leave.

“Betty?” her boss calls, so she looks around. “Your work this week has been amazing, so I’d like to offer you a half-day tomorrow. Unfortunately, we need you for the meeting in the morning, but I’d like for you to take the afternoon off.” 

“Wow, thank you, that’d be amazing.” 

Her boss smiles. “I’m hopeful your article will be able to be published early next week, by the way, but for now, take a well deserved break.”

Betty thanks her again, reminding her of the meeting first thing with a small laugh, before heading off with a spring in her step. She’s always liked her job, her boss being a good one who has enough experience in the industry to keep Betty on her toes, but this past week has made her realize how lucky she is to be able to do something she loves so much and get appreciated for it. And now, she’s hopeful that her efforts have been worth it.

When she arrives home, she dumps her bag and heads into the kitchen in search of something quick and easy for dinner so she can flop on her bed as soon as possible. 

Sitting on the countertop in her kitchen is a vase she doesn’t recognize containing a dozen red roses. They are beautiful. Well, beautiful doesn’t quite cover it. The vase is sparkling in the light of the room, roses displayed with sprigs of greenery, and petals looking like velvet. A white note is leaning against the vase, her name in messy scrawl on the front. She flips it over and reads.

_Betty,_

_Just a little something to remind you how much I like you. Keep up the good work._

_Love, Jug._

The smile on her face threatens to split it in two. _Fuck_ , he is so adorable. Betty’s never dated anyone like him before. He is the most caring and downright amazing person she’s ever met. She can’t quite believe she gets to call him her boyfriend. She feels so goddamn lucky, and for the second time today, she finds herself counting her blessings. 

As she snaps a photo, Caramel jumps up on the counter and rubs her back against the vase, making herself the centerpiece of the image. Betty laughs to herself, and sends it to Jughead anyway with a message she hopes conveys her appreciation of his little gift. 

Just as she presses send, a message from Toni comes through.

_T: Loverboy begged me to leave his gift when I fed Caramel. You’re lucky Cheryl has made me a hopeless romantic, Cooper._

Oh my God. Of course Toni was involved in this. That makes so much sense. 

_B: Thanks, Toni. Really appreciate it <3_

And she does. She’s sure Toni knows it, too. 

While making dinner - a quick chicken salad - she texts with Veronica to ensure she made it to Seattle safely, mentioning her early finish tomorrow. Much to her delight, Veronica’s meetings finish mid-afternoon and she suggests that they go shopping before meeting up with Toni. Betty happily agrees, excited to spend some time with her best friend. 

The rest of her admittedly short evening goes by in a flash and all of a sudden, she’s eaten, showered and back in her own bed again. She’s scrolling through Instagram, liking all of Veronica’s artistic photos of Seattle, when her phone rings. 

It’s Jughead, of course. 

They chat for a while, like the two previous evenings. As before, she updates him on her work situation. He sounds incredibly proud when she mentions the imminent publishing of her article but all she can think about is wanting to kiss him. 

“Hey, Jug?” she says, causing him to stop mid-sentence. “Will you stay with me tomorrow night?” 

“I’d love to,” he replies. “But what about Toni and Veronica?”

She thinks for a moment before making a decision. “What about them? I don’t care what they think. Please stay?”

“Okay.”

She smiles. “Okay.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! 
> 
> what did you think? i hope there was enough soft bughead to get you through. next chapter has a lot more, so keep an eye out for that on monday :D 
> 
> as always, thank you for any kudos and comments. they are greatly appreciated and power me to keep writing.
> 
> i hope y'all are okay and staying safe. until next time


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty's Friday adventures leading up to seeing Jughead again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! 
> 
> another chapter for you all today. this one is half of the events of friday with chapter 12 being the second half. sorry about leaving you hanging. honestly, my chapters could be longer but my preference as a reader is shorter ones, so i thought i'd reflect that in this - i hope you don't mind! 
> 
> how are you all doing today, anyway? the tension in the fandom is very high at the moment still (understandably so) and i don't think that's going to be changing any time soon. i do hope another chapter of my little universe makes this time slightly more bearable. 
> 
> enjoy & see you on the flip side
> 
> (btw- warning for more alcohol drinking in this chapter)

Friday morning is exactly the kind of chilled start to the day Betty needs after such a hectic week. 

Her meeting at work goes well. It’s quicker and easier than she originally thought - mainly just an update on the situation. She’s told that her article has been sent off and they have until Monday to come to a decision with the FBI. Other than that, there’s nothing new, so the meeting ends up finishing just before 11. 

After that, she heads home the long way via her favorite bakery to pick up a baguette for lunch. At home, she wastes time by cleaning the apartment ready for Veronica and Toni’s arrival later before she settles down for a while until she goes to meet Veronica. 

She texts Jughead briefly, updating him on the timings for this evening's plans and telling him that she can’t wait to see him. He replies back with some uncharacteristic yet suggestive emojis, and she heads out to meet with Veronica with a grin splashed across her face. 

A short bus ride later and Betty arrives in downtown Seattle. She heads towards Pacific Place mall, spotting Veronica almost immediately.

“B!” Veronica half-shouts, running towards her. Betty does the same and they collide somewhere in the middle in a hug. 

“I can’t believe you’re in Seattle,” Betty tells her as they pull apart. 

Veronica smiles, linking her arm through Betty’s as they walk off. “And just in time to meet your new boyfriend.”

She blushes at the mention. “He’s amazing, V. I hope you like him.”

“Well, I am looking forward to scrutinizing him later,” Veronica says with her signature sly grin. 

Betty lets out a small groan. “Please be nice.”

“Of course. I just _have_ to make sure he’s good enough for my Betty.” 

She laughs. Veronica means well, she knows that, and she also knows it’s highly likely that Veronica _will_ like Jughead. In fact, it’s almost certain, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t nervous about their meeting. She pushes those thoughts out of her mind and tries to enjoy her time with Veronica. 

And she does, for the most part. As someone who is used to Veronica’s shopping habits - if you can call ‘buying everything and putting it on Hiram Lodge’s black card no matter the cost’ a habit - Betty manages to have an enjoyable time. They wander around far too many shops for far too long and Veronica buys far too much but it reminds her of times back in New York when being dragged around shops was Veronica’s way of getting her out. So it’s nice, nice in a nostalgic kind of way and nice in a _look at how far I’ve come_ kind of way. 

After hours of shopping and enjoying being back together again, the pair make their way back to Betty’s apartment in preparation for Toni’s arrival. They take a taxi because, in Veronica’s words, _these pearls do not enjoy public transport_. Betty just laughs it off and allows her to pay for the taxi, knowing better than to fight her. 

Betty gives Veronica the same speed-tour of her apartment she gave Jughead, and much to her surprise, Veronica approves of her tiny living quarters. 

“B! It’s amazing!” she exclaims, spinning around to look at everything. “Oh! And where’s your little kitty?”

For some reason, she doesn’t want to lead Veronica into her room as she did with Jughead, so she tells her to sit down while she collects Caramel. She’s not sure why, but perhaps it’s just something she wants to keep as a sacred memory with her now-boyfriend, untainted by similar events with her best friends. It sounds stupid, she knows, but these early moments in her relationship are something she wants to treasure while she can. 

The pair spend a little while playing with Caramel and chatting while they wait for Toni. It feels surreal to have Veronica in her apartment at first, like their friendship was meant to stay in the confines of New York state, but it quickly begins to feel like this was meant to be. Their friendship can stretch across the country, ping into different locations, but ultimately, it’ll always be the same: them against whatever life throws at them, no matter the distance between them.

When Toni arrives, any original nerves she had about the three of them spending time together in person are quick to dissipate. Toni brings wine, lots of it, and greasy pizzas. Definitely not Veronica’s usual food of choice - Toni knows this - but it’s appropriate pre-drinks food and Veronica accepts this.

So Betty gets out 3 of her favorite mugs and pours them all a large serving of wine. They eat the kind of shitty pizza, drink the surprisingly good wine, and chat as if they’ve known each other forever. 

“So, Toni, please tell me about Betty’s wonderful boyfriend. She will not give me any information before I meet him tonight,” Veronica all but demands, somehow elegantly holding her giraffe mug of wine. 

Mid-sip, Toni almost chokes. “Huh? She won’t tell you anything?”

“Nope.”

“She doesn’t usually stop talking about him,” Toni admits. “But, to be fair, he’s the same.”

At that, Betty blushes. She’s heard before that he talks about her a lot, and honestly, she thinks it’s adorable. She doesn’t comment, though, allowing her friends to carry on. 

“Hm,” Veronica hums, sipping her drink. “Interesting.”

Toni nods. “But even though his non-stop sickly sweet comments can get annoying, I actually like him.”

Betty smiles involuntarily. And of course her friends notice. 

“That face tells me that you do, too, huh?” Toni teases, leaning back and resting her feet on the edge of the coffee table. 

There is nothing she can do to hide the grin on her face that gives it all away. Because, yes, she does like Jughead, she likes him more than she’s willing to admit to them this early in the relationship. Regardless, she tries to hide her face, hands flying in a poor attempt to shelter her forming blush. 

Instead, Veronica throws her arm around her, pulling her closer. “It’s okay, B,” she giggles. “We all remember what it’s like at the beginning.”

She groans at that, but slowly removes her hands from her face. And then she has an idea, one that in theory should take the spotlight off of her and Jughead. She grins and says, “Toni knows a lot about love now, right?” 

Toni practically spits her drink out. Again. “Cooper,” she gasps. “How dare you throw me under the bus like that?” 

All 3 of them burst out laughing, Veronica mumbling, “Good one, Betty,” between giggles. 

Minutes later, the laughing subsides, leaving them breathless and grinning at each other. It’s a nice moment between 3 friends who just hours ago had never been all together in one room before. Betty thinks it’s an important one, too. It shows how _happy_ they are to finally be at this point, a cementing moment in their friendship. 

That, and the wine. 

Veronica sniffs, causing Betty to look over and see her wiping her eyes. “I’m so happy to be here,” she wails. 

Her and Toni wrap their arms around Veronica immediately, and Toni whispers, “We’re glad to have you.” It’s somewhat uncharacteristic for Toni to say something so heartfelt-sounding, usually one to keep up her guard. She hides behind sarcastic and teasing comments - much like Jughead used to, Betty thinks. But for her to say something like that, Betty realizes how much this must mean to her, and she thinks Veronica realizes, too.

Time passes relatively quickly, so suddenly it’s just an hour until the trio are due to meet Jughead and Cheryl in the bar. Betty begins slowing down her wine intake, wanting to make sure she can remember every moment of her night with her friends and, even more so, with Jughead. Her excitement and anxiety levels rise simultaneously, but luckily her friends are there to distract her. 

“Girls! We need to start getting ready!” a tipsy Veronica announces, jumping up. 

Betty laughs, standing up and offering a hand to a groaning Toni. She leads them into her bedroom, feeling significantly less weird about it now it’s the 3 of them, and begins sifting through her closet. She has a couple outfit ideas in mind but she knows both of her friends will have opinions on them. 

“So,” she says, picking out 2 of the dresses and turning around. “We have this.” She shows a long, off the shoulder, yellow dress first. “Or this.” Then, a shorter, black, glittery dress. 

Veronica hums in contemplation, eyeing both dresses up and down, while Toni is quick to answer. “The black one, definitely.”

Betty is surprised by that, usually being told to _leave the black to me, Cooper_. Not that she minds, but she thinks there might be an ulterior motive in her suggestion. 

“Usually, I’d disagree,” Veronica says after a moment. “But Toni is right! That dress is the one, B.”

Hmm, now Betty is almost certain there is something behind this. She could’ve passed Toni’s comment off as weird, but Veronica, on the other hand, has never chosen black over a color for Betty to wear on a night out. Not once in four years of college parties she’d be dragged to. She thought she’d try her luck with the pair of them together, but now she’s just suspicious.

She drops both her arms from their holding position, allowing for both the dresses to touch the floor. “...Why?” she asks. 

Veronica and Toni glance at each other. “Nothing,” they say at the same time, eyes snapping back to Betty’s. 

She narrows her eyes, moving from one to the other. “What’s this really about?” Dropping the dresses on the bed in front of her, one hand sits on her hip as she tries to get to the bottom of this. 

“Umm,” Veronica says, uncharacteristically unsure sounding. Again, she looks at Toni, who stares back with a blank expression. She clears her throat. “Nothing, my dear Betty.”

Being friends with someone for almost 5 years means you can tell when they’re not telling the full truth. The way Veronica’s eyes won’t meet Betty’s, and how she sounds so uncertain. Toni, though, is more difficult to read. But simply from the amount of side-eyeing between her 2 friends, Betty is certain they’re up to _something_. 

“Toni,” she says warningly. 

Toni sighs in defeat. “Okay, I may have shown Jughead a photo of us at the Halloween party last year where you wore a short black dress and he may have reacted, uh, well?”

Oh my God. That sneaky fucking bitch.

In the photo she’s talking about, Betty’s wearing a dress similar to one of her options. She knows the exact photo as they only managed to get a single good one that evening, spending most of it completely wasted after Toni broke up with her ex. Looking back, she doesn’t even remember whose party it was, or much else about it, just that her and Toni went as cats - an inventive Halloween costume, she knows. They both had far too short, definitely disapproved of by Alice Cooper, black dresses on, crappy cat ears Toni bought last-minute and whiskers drawn on with eyeliner that smudged within minutes. 

If she’s being honest, she’s not surprised Jughead liked it. And she can’t say she’s unhappy with that thought. So that’s her decision made on what to wear, anyway. 

Sitting down next to her friends, she giggles. 

“What?” Veronica asks, a slight smile spreading across her face.

“I love you two.”

Toni tilts her head in confusion. “We love you, too, Coop,” she says anyway.

“We do,” Veronica agrees. 

Betty pulls both of them in for a group hug, allowing happiness to flood her. 

When they part, Veronica asks, “What was that all about?”

Betty laughs again. “Did you two really think I wouldn’t see through your plan?”

“I mean, we hoped,” Toni shrugs, grinning. 

“Black dress it is,” Betty replies definitively, standing up and picking up both dresses. She shoves the yellow one back into her closet and turns around to see her friends looking at her with amused confusion on their faces. “Better give him what he wants, huh?” Holding up the black dress, she turns around and heads out of the room towards the bathroom before either of them have a chance to reply. 

A few minutes later, she returns wearing the black dress. It’s shorter than she remembered, but she likes it. It shows off her legs and chest just the right amount, and she’s almost certain Jughead will like it, thanks to Toni’s help. (She just hopes he likes it _enough_ to maybe possibly want to take her out of it.)

Standing in the doorway, she awaits her friends’ eyes. 

Veronica is the first to look up, gasping and clapping excitedly. “Betty!! You look amazing!”

Her gasp makes Toni look up, too, who stares her up and down. “Not bad, Cooper,” she says with a smirk. “I’m sure Mr. Dark-and-Handsome is going to love it.”

Betty blushes. “Thank you. Now… what about hair and makeup?”

For the next twenty minutes, the girls take it in turns to perfect each other's looks. Betty is up first. Veronica styles her hair into soft curls, demanding that she leaves it down, while Toni does her makeup, ensuring a natural look with a dark lip to tempt Jughead even further. If she’s being honest, they do a very good job at making her look and feel amazing. And now she cannot wait to see her boyfriend even more.

Next, they do Veronica’s, which is significantly easier as she practically does it all herself, Betty and Toni just there for moral support. She wears a brand new dress - dark gray covered in delicate, silver flowers. It probably cost more than Betty’s entire closet, but that’s Veronica Lodge. She doesn’t do much to her hair as it’s already flawless, and an extra sprinkling of eyeshadow and lipstick seems to be all it takes for her to get ready. Somehow, Veronica is always party ready. 

Toni also wears a dress. It’s a fitted dress, black with red accents - the red being something Betty knows is a Cheryl Blossom thing from the couple times she’s met her. She knows they like to subtly match and she finds herself wondering if Jughead would do anything like that with her. Maybe she’ll find out one day, she thinks to herself. 

Betty helps with Toni’s hair, straightening it and adding a headband that matches her dress, while Veronica focuses on the makeup - dark eyes and a red lip. It brings the whole outfit together, and Betty makes sure to tell Toni that Cheryl will _definitely_ love it.

Once they’re all dressed up and ready, they take multiple group selfies and mirror pictures showing off their outfits. Of course, Veronica instantly posts a couple on Instagram, captioning one with _the best friends in the world_. Betty smiles, looking over at her two friends, busy engrossed in their phones. She allows herself to feel happy.

They head off shortly after that. Veronica insists they get a taxi because _I can’t walk in these heels_. Betty understands, but the bar is only 15 minutes away by foot so the sentiment baffles her. Again, though, that’s Veronica Lodge. 

Of course, Veronica pays for the taxi, tipping generously, and the three of them stumble into the bar. Not usually a bar person, or any kind of evening outing, Betty doesn’t actually mind this bar. It’s busy, but not as busy as the bars downtown, and the music isn’t screaming-loud, yet still loud enough to dance to. The drinks aren’t vastly overpriced either, not that it matters when Veronica offers to pay for the first round. 

While she’s at the bar, Toni and Betty find a table to sit at. It’s in the corner, slightly sheltered from the main crowds. Betty sits facing outwards, eyes fixed on the door, waiting for Jughead. 

“Cheryl says she’s almost here,” Toni says, looking up from her phone. 

Betty’s eyes snap to her. “Hopefully Jug will be here soon, too.” 

“You nervous, Coop?” 

“Hmm? What?” She’s distracted by the door again, quick to feel bad when Toni talks to her. “Sorry,” she mumbles, looking back at her. “Yeah, I guess.”

Toni chuckles. “Veronica will like him, you know?”

She smiles slightly. “I hope so.”

Before Toni can reply, she’s interrupted by the arrival of Veronica, arm linked with a certain red-headed Cheryl Blossom. 

“Look who I bumped into at the bar!” Veronica exclaims as she comes to a stop. 

“Greetings,” Cheryl says to Betty. Then to Toni, “Hi, TT,” with a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Toni blushes. For quite possibly the first time ever in Betty’s presence. Betty stifles a laugh, mumbling a quick _hello_ back to Cheryl. 

“You two met then?” Toni says, arm now wrapped around Cheryl as she addresses her and Veronica. 

Betty zones out at this point, allowing for the three of them to chat away while she tries (and fails) to get hold of Jughead. Technically, he isn’t late yet. It’s only just gone 9, but nevertheless, she worries. And texts him. Again. 

She looks back at her friends - now three of them. Cheryl and Veronica seem to be involved in a heated discussion on… rum, she thinks. That would make sense, actually. Veronica is a rum drinker and apparently so is Cheryl. She can hear them speaking about maple syrup flavored rum. Not something she can or particularly wants to talk about. 

Her eyes move to Toni, who, unlike usual, is not partaking in the same conversation as Cheryl. She seems distracted by her phone again. But then Cheryl drags her back into the conversation and Toni is quickly taken by her girlfriend. 

Betty checks her own phone again, but there’s nothing from Jughead. Sigh. Instead, she tries to participate in the group's conversation. Her mind keeps wandering and her eyes keep finding the door. 

“You okay, B?” Veronica asks, 10 or so minutes later. 

She’s sipping her drink, twirling the straw as a way of keeping herself occupied. “Uh, yeah, sorry.”

Veronica sends her a sympathetic smile. “He’ll be here soon.”

“Yeah,” Betty replies, trying to sound happier. “Actually, I’m gonna get some air and give him a ring. I won’t be long.” She stands up and begins to walk away before Veronica, or anyone else for that matter, can ask any more questions. 

Outside, she paces up and down outside the bar, allowing the cooler air to ground her. She takes a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. 

It calms her slightly, but not enough. With a sigh, she gives in and dials Jughead.

He picks up on the fifth ring. Not that she’s counting or anything. 

“Betty?”

She can’t help the small smile that spreads across her face when she hears his voice. “Hey, Jug.”

“Are you okay?” He sounds concerned, he sounds like he’s frowning. (The image of him that pops up in her head is cute and she scolds herself for thinking that.)

She doesn’t answer his question. “Where are you?”

“Did Toni not tell you?”

Her heart drops. Immediately, she expects the worst. He can’t make it, he’s canceling on her, he didn’t want to tell her personally so he got Toni to do it for him. Fuck.

“Did Toni not tell me what?” she asks tentatively and confusedly. She leans against the cold wall of the bar, trying to brace herself for his answer. 

“That I’m, uh, running late. I was texting her and-”

“Wait, so you’re not bailing on me?” she interrupts, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“What? No, Betty, I’m just running late. But I’m on my way now.” 

She smiles. _Thank God_. “How long will you be?” 

He sounds slightly breathless as he replies. “Not long. I’m just going past Trader Joe’s on 1st Avenue.” 

Betty knows where that is. It’s only a few blocks away, probably 5 minutes or so walking time, as she assumes he is. “Okay. I’m outside, so I’ll wait for you.” 

He agrees easily and they hang up with the knowledge of being back together in just a few minutes. Betty feels lighter, significantly less anxious now she knows her new boyfriend _isn’t_ pulling out of meeting one of her best friends last minute. 

As expected, Jughead emerges from around the corner several minutes later. She waves at him and he spots her immediately, striding over to her, still leaning against the wall. 

“Hi,” she grins as he gets closer. 

He doesn’t reply, not with words at least. He leans down, covering her lips with his in a needy kiss filled with intent. She kisses back with equal force, just happy to have him back again. 

Neither of them make an effort to pull back, leisurely but needily kissing for some time. 

Jughead breaks the kiss first, though, taking a deep breath as he leans his forehead against hers. “Hi,” he whispers.

“Hi,” she whispers back, hands finding their way up to cup his face. “That was a nice welcome.”

He grins, leaning down to kiss her again. “I missed you,” he mumbles against her lips. 

“I missed you, too.” She blushes slightly, but luckily the darkness of the hours shields it. Her hands drop to her side as she expects him to move back so they can go into the bar together.

Instead, he pushes her against the wall and kisses her with a passion she isn’t sure she’s experienced before. She tries to match it, hands clutching his arms, and she thinks she succeeds with the slight groan Jughead lets out. Luckily, it’s muffled by her mouth, but it does shock them back into remembering where they are. 

She pulls away, albeit rather reluctantly, and he steps back, looking her up and down.

“Betty, you look- well, I don’t have any words. Amazing, beautiful, breathtaking. All of them. And more.” He takes her hand in his, eyes fixated on hers as if they’re piercing into her soul.

It makes her blush again, deeply this time. She ducks her head in an attempt to hide it, certain he must notice. She takes the opportunity to take in his outfit. It’s wildly different from what she’s become accustomed to and what she remembers him wearing in Riverdale. Black skinny jeans paired with a long-sleeved dark button-up. Suspenders actually on, but not his usual black and white ones that hang down. No. These ones are dark - they’d be blending into the rest of his outfit if it weren’t for the silver of the metal clips attaching them to his pants - and she _definitely_ prefers them. 

“Jughead,” she groans, allowing a hand to reach out and tug on one suspender. “You look incredible yourself.” When she says it, it doesn’t seem like enough. He looks more than just incredible, but she can’t think of any words to describe it. Maybe she’ll be able to show him later.

“You like these?” he smirks, bringing his hand to cover hers that’s still on his suspenders. 

She nods. “Oh yeah.” Her voice is low and laced with suggestion. 

“Interesting,” he smirks, kissing her once more. He doesn’t allow it to get out of hand, though, ensuring it’s only short before gesturing towards the door and asking, “Shall we?” 

“Do we have to?” she whines. “I want you all to myself.” 

He smiles at her, stepping back and taking her hand. “Come on, Betty.”

Sighing over-dramatically, she follows him towards the entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again.
> 
> so, what did you think of today's chapter? hope the lil bughead is enough to tie you over until thursday (we can safely ignore canon this week, i think)
> 
> there's definitely more in the way of bughead to come in the next chapter, but first: meeting veronica. and then, you never know, they may get their alone time. i think (/hope) it'll cheer you all up after the episode. if not, we can all cry together.
> 
> is anyone else tempted to just... not watch the episode? because i really am. but part of me wants to see how it plays out. i haven't actually decided yet if i'll watch the whole thing, but either way, i should be back here sometime on thursday for chapter 12.
> 
> until then, thank you for reading and thank you for all kudos and comments. you all keep me going during these questionable times. 
> 
> stay safe & see you soon


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead meets Veronica for the first time and Betty asks him to dance to a very special song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! 
> 
> how are you all doing today? how is everyone feeling after the episode? honestly, i hated the b*rchie so much (obviously) but it was so weird and ooc??? i think i'd hate it less if it made sense, you know? i really hope the writers know what they're doing and manage to fix this mess they've made. anyway, i'm managing it myself by writing and reading lots of fics and decidedly ignoring it. i'm doing quite well on convincing myself that it didnt happen because My Betty Cooper Would Never. 
> 
> i hope y'all are doing okay throughout this whole riverdale mess and the general mess of the world. 
> 
> this chapter has a lot of bughead so i hope it helps you take your mind off of everything. please enjoy.
> 
> see you on the other side.
> 
> ps- the song in this... if you know, you know.

Inside the bar, it seems to have gotten busier. Still not overcrowded, but it makes it more difficult to find her friends. She leads him over to the table they were situated at earlier, finding only Veronica there, distracted by her extravagant looking cocktail. 

Betty takes a deep breath before walking over to her, hand still attached to Jughead’s. “Hey, V.”

Veronica looks up, straw in her mouth. She squeals, flinging it around the glass’s edge. “Betty!”

Betty laughs nervously, feeling Jughead squeeze her hand. “V, this is Jughead. Jug, this is Veronica.”

Jumping up, Veronica pulls the both of them into an impromptu group hug. Although this isn't an unusual procedure for her, Betty knows it’s exaggerated by the alcohol. 

As she lets them go, Jughead says, “Hey, nice to meet you.” He sounds uncomfortable, unsurprisingly so. Anyone meeting Veronica for the first would be, let alone Betty’s _boyfriend_. 

And, being the protective best friend she is, she doesn’t exactly make him feel welcome, jumping straight in with what must be a list of pre-planned questions before they can even sit down together. “So, Jug-Head, what are your intentions with Betty here?”

_Oh God_. _Please no_ , Betty thinks, prays, hopes. Poor Jughead. And Veronica says his name like Alice Cooper used to - two separate syllables. _Ugh_. 

“Veronica,” Betty groans, taking the initiative to sit down, dragging Jughead with her in turn. “It’s just Jughead. One word.”

He seems grateful to be sitting now, sliding into the booth-style seating next to her and still clinging onto her hand. “The real thing’s a lot worse, trust me,” he jokes, although it falls kind of flat, with Betty forcing out a laugh to cover the awkwardness. 

After a second of hesitation, Veronica sits with them, perching herself on the edge of one of the table’s stools. “You’re from Riverdale, too, Jughead?” she asks, more politely this time. 

He nods. “Yeah, born and bred. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, but I’m sure Betty’s told you all about it.”

She hardly contemplates his answer. “And why didn’t you ask my Bettykins out back then?”

Betty can barely take it, sighing loudly. “Leave him alone, V.”

“Sorry, Betty,” Veronica replies sadly, taking a sip of her drink. At Betty’s pointed glare, she looks over to Jughead and smiles sickly-sweet at him. “I’m sorry, Jughead.”

Luckily, he takes it in his stride and somewhat lifts the awkwardness of the conversation. “So, Betty tells me you’re in the rum business?”

_Good one, Jug,_ Betty thinks as Veronica’s fake smile gets replaced with a very real, very excitable one. 

“Yes!” she exclaims. “Actually, Cheryl and I were just discussing a possible collaboration. My rum and her maple syrup! Genius, right?”

They get dragged into a discussion about business ideas for a while, which isn’t Betty’s favorite thing to talk about with Veronica, but any lingering awkwardness is quick to disappear, making her, and she hopes Jughead, feel a lot more comfortable. As much as the topic isn’t top of her list - more of a wine than rum drinker herself - the idea’s Veronica and Cheryl have actually sound, well, good. Not something she’d ever buy but she can see the appeal.

Jughead seems to think the same. Apparently, he is an occasional rum drinker and offers his services to Veronica in the future, something that surprises both her and Betty. She seems grateful, though, and genuinely so this time. 

After around 15 minutes, Jughead shifts around, letting go of Betty’s hand for the first time this evening. “I, uh, I’m gonna get a drink.” He gestures towards the bar. “Do you want anything?”

While Veronica all but demands a rum, telling him to get one too, Betty, ever so politely, asks for a lemonade. Veronica tries to get her to join in with the rum, but she stands her ground and shrugs her off. 

After Jughead takes their orders, he stands up, gives Betty a quick kiss on the cheek and weaves his way through the crowds towards the bar, leaving Betty and Veronica alone. 

“So,” Betty begins hesitantly, avoiding Veronica’s eyes and instead focusing intently on the stained wooden table between them. “Do you… I mean, what do you think of him?” 

“He’s definitely not the brooding ex-gang member Toni said he was.” 

Betty outwardly winces at her words. 

“Oh, B.” Veronica switches seats so now she’s sitting next to Betty and dramatically throws her arm around her. “He seems wonderful. And he’s definitely into you.” 

_That’s a better response_ , Betty thinks, allowing herself to lean into her best friend. “I really like him, V.”

“And he really likes you, too. I can tell.”

Her words sound genuine, earnest, _true_. It’s something she’s not entirely used to from Veronica. Usually such words are said in an over-the-top or extravagant way that they never seem completely honest. These, though, they seem real. They seem to come from a place of truth. Veronica knows what she’s talking about when it comes to this kind of stuff, after all.

Before Betty can reply and let her know how much her approval means, Jughead returns with a tray of drinks and two familiar faces. 

“Toni was just saying how-” She looks him up and down. “-nice Jughead’s outfit is. Right, Betty?” Cheryl says by way of greeting, arm linked with Toni’s as Jughead awkwardly shuffles over to Betty.

As he does so, she notices a blush spread across his face, side-eyeing Toni not-so-subtly. “Right,” she offers. 

“It’s a good outfit,” Toni giggles, definitely more than slightly tipsy. “One he definitely chose all by himself.”

“Subtle, TT,” Cheryl scolds, rolling her eyes. 

“Says you, Cher.” 

Veronica, strangely quiet up until this point, interrupts. “Thank you for the drink, Jughead. Let’s try it!” She slides one of the rums towards him, picking up her own and taking a sip.

Betty watches the situation unfold suspiciously, like she’s missing something. _Again_. She tries to piece together the weird looks and weird conversation, like the journalist she is. Jughead’s outfit. Cheryl’s comment. Toni’s comment. The looks between them all. And earlier, Toni’s texting. Jughead asking if Toni told her something.

Of course, it doesn’t take her long to work it out. She’s _good_ at her job. 

Toni helped Jughead choose his outfit. And that’s why he was late. 

Her friends are so goddamn sneaky.

She makes eye contact with Toni, giving her a knowing look. Toni simply smirks back and shrugs. Betty shakes her head, smiling, and looks up at Jughead. Somehow he must be able to sense her, or something, because his eyes meet hers almost immediately. They have a whole conversation without words, just using their eyes and facial expressions.

_Was that Toni’s doing?_ she hopes she conveys to him, the edge of her mouth lifting up slightly. 

Embarrassment spreads across his face. _Yeah. I hope you like it_ , she thinks he’s saying.

_I do_. She grins this time, wishing she could lean up and kiss him senselessly.

He seems to be able to read her mind, a dark blush finding its way across his cheeks and down his neck. 

Veronica clearing her throat forces them to look apart. “What do you think of the rum, Jughead?”

He blinks rapidly. “Um.” He picks up the glass almost absentmindedly, swirling it around and taking a sip. “It’s not bad,” he says, sounding unfocused. 

Cheryl sighs dramatically. “You can do better than that.”

“Cheryl!” Toni curses, elbowing her in the side. She’s obviously trying to keep the peace between the group, knowing what Cheryl can be like, and for that Betty is grateful. 

Jughead seems to be able to shake himself out of whatever haze he’d dragged Betty into. He smiles. “I’m sure yours will be better.”

Now that’s a good line. Veronica shrieks loudly and Cheryl smiles uncharacteristically. “And you will be the first to try it,” Veronica tells him.

Betty lets them discuss rum again, allowing herself to zone out for a while. Her hand finds Jughead’s, and she has to hold her arm up uncomfortably as he’s still standing. It probably looks awkward but she wants some kind of contact with him. 

He looks down at her and smiles before Cheryl has him engaging with them again. Betty doesn’t mind, though. It makes her happy to see him interact with her friends so easily. Apart from the slightly awkward start, he seems to be getting on very well with them, playing into what they want to hear. She’s noticed that his air of faux confidence has returned, and he seems so naturally charismatic. It makes her laugh, really, now that she feels she knows the _true_ Jughead. Not that this one isn’t really him, it’s just when they’re alone, he’s different. 

And boy does she want to be alone with him right now. 

Tuning back into the conversation in an attempt to silence her _inappropriate_ thoughts, she remembers why she tuned out in the first place. Rum talk. Rum talk and business talk. _Not_ something she’s interested in. At all. And for the second time this evening? Not into it.

Jughead seems to be feigning interest and for that she appreciates him. And his effort. It’s _cute_. 

Back 5 years ago, she wouldn’t have ever thought she’d think Jughead Jones was cute. Let alone want to kiss him. Let alone want to do _more_ than kiss him. Her eyes always fell on Archie Andrews instead. His bright orange hair, his more-often-than-not shirtless chest, his muscles. She regrets that now, and has done a lot in the past few weeks, yet she realizes it wasn’t something she actively chose. She could’ve, _should’ve_ , been looking at Jughead. Lost time and all. 

But. By fate or coincidence or chance, he’s here now. He’s here now and _she_ is with him. 

And now she wants to make up for all that lost time. 

She lets out a sigh. An accidentally too-loud sigh. So Veronica - still sitting next to her - snaps her head around to look at her. 

Luckily for Betty, the other three don’t seem to have heard or noticed the sigh nor Veronica’s sudden movement. Unluckily for Betty, she now has captured the attention of her _very_ over-dramatic and drunk best friend. 

“Betty!” Veronica whispers loudly. She’s not good at being subtle or quiet usually, let alone when there’s alcohol in her system. Again, luckily no one else notices.

She decides to feign innocence and hope Veronica falls for it. “Yes, V?”

“Have you been listening to _any_ of this conversation?” She sounds pissed. But again, she likes to over-dramatize things. 

“Uh-huh,” Betty says, smiling like there’s a halo that appears above her head when she does so. “Rum talk.”

“Oh, Bettykins. You are funny.” Veronica sends her the same smile back. Maybe she isn’t as drunk as Betty originally thought. “I know you better than you think, Betty Cooper.”

Welp. She’s probably right with that one. “Back at you, V.”

Veronica laughs, nodding. “Take him,” she says with a smirk. 

Now, Veronica somehow more often than not knows (or can guess) what Betty is thinking. She doesn’t know how she does it, but the _knowing her better than she thinks_ probably plays a big part. Experiencing college with someone does that. It’s something Betty is simultaneously grateful and hateful for. 

Deep down, she knows Veronica always means well. Just, sometimes she isn’t the best at showing it how she means it. Betty means this politely, but the OTT nature of her friend often crosses the line into too much, making her seem actually angry. Nevertheless, over the course of the friendship, Betty has learned to take Veronica with a pinch of salt. (Or occasionally, a bucket-full.)

And Veronica’s advice, of the questionable variety usually, is actually _good_ tonight. But how does one go about stealing their boyfriend while he’s talking to two-to-three of your close friends, Betty wonders. 

Subtly. 

She sits for a while, wondering _how_ she goes about being subtle. Well, Veronica probably won’t think she is and she’s sure she’ll then tell Toni of her, uh, hopes and they will both demand details. 

Oh well, Betty decides. 

Some time passes (how much, she’s not sure) and the conversation seems to reach a lull just as one of Betty’s favorite songs comes on. 

_Love Song by Lana Del Rey_.

It’s not a club song, or bar song, at all. She’d guess someone requested it from the DJ who now seems to be occupying a small space in the far corner. She hadn’t noticed him before, but that makes sense when she thinks about it. 

She’s surprised to hear it, though. It’s been a favorite of hers for a while and not once has she heard it in a bar. Back at college house parties, she’d always try to request it, but no one even played it.

Here, in Seattle, in this bar, with Jughead, it feels different. 

This is it. 

She jumps up, tugging on his hand. “I love this song - come on!” She doesn’t give him a chance to say no, not that she thinks he ever would. 

Jughead follows her without question and her friends don’t question their quick departure. She leads him towards the dancefloor, hand clasped tightly around his. She finds a spot amongst other couples and groups of drunk girls and comes to a pause. 

“What are we doing?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. 

“Dancing.”

He laughs softly, dropping her hand and slowly moving his own to hold her waist. He seems unsure, uncertain, and she wonders if she’s pushed him too far. But then he pulls her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. In response, she leans into him, hands linking behind his neck. 

The lyrics fill the room around them.

_Now I’m here with you, and I_

_Would like to think that you would stick around_

_You know that I’d just die to make you proud_

Words she knows so well take on a different meaning. In Jughead’s arms, something clicks. Just like it did that day he said her name in JFK airport. She can’t explain it herself but she knows how he would. Fate. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. But it’s certainly something. 

As the lyrics continue on, Betty can focus on just one thing: Jughead. 

His arms holding her, she feels at home. And she feels something else, something indescribable, something she hasn’t felt before. 

He sways gently in time to the music, pulling her side to side with him. Her hands now rest on his shoulders, her head leaning into him absentmindedly. Eyes finding his, the look on his face is one she can only describe as _fond_. His eyes are soft, glinting in the low light of the room. His mouth upturned in a small smile, tiny crinkles forming at the edge. She notices details she hadn’t before.

Their closeness and the unexpected intimacy of the moment makes her head spin with that same feeling of something new. 

_It’s too soon, it’s too soon, it’s too soon,_ her brain says over and over, like a mantra. 

She tries to push the thoughts out of her head and focus on him but focusing on him only intensifies said thoughts. 

The song comes to an end with lyrics she’s sung over and over. 

_The taste, the touch, the way we love_

_It all comes down to make the sound of our love song_

She hums the words softly, imagining she was brave enough to sing them to Jughead like she so wishes in this moment. 

One day, she decides, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips as the song comes to an end, leaving the room in a moment of silence. For a second, it’s as if no one is around them, like it’s just them, stars shining above them, holding each other like nothing else matters. 

And to Betty, it doesn’t. She is encapsulated by him in a way she has never felt before. And in that moment, she doesn’t think she’ll ever feel it with anyone else. 

She’s never been so sure of anything in her life. 

The moment of silence ends and the next song starts to play. It isn’t one she knows, but suddenly any music is too loud and overwhelming. She pulls away from Jughead without any warning, and he gives her a confused look. She doesn’t say anything, trying to walk away.

His hand catches hers. “Hey, Betty, are you okay?” 

She looks up at him, his eyes kind and tender, and she can’t help but smile. She reaches out and cups his face with the hand that isn’t in his. “Yeah, yes.” She takes a deep breath. “Can we go outside?”

Without question, he nods and leads her towards the door.

When they get outside, he takes her around the corner to the side of the building. It’s quieter than directly outside the door, which had gotten busier than just a couple of hours ago when he arrived. She’s grateful, though, that he thought to bring her to somewhere quieter - she definitely needs it - and it, once again, reinforces his amazingness. 

One hand still gripping onto hers, the other comes up to rest on her shoulder. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Or it might be a sigh, a sigh of relief. A sigh that comes from being grounded by his touch. 

“You okay?” he asks again. 

“I am now,” she tells him honestly. 

He smiles. “Good.”

She mirrors him. “Good.”

They stay still for just a second, eyes fixated on one another's. She notices flecks of blue amongst the green of his eyes and how they soften as they look into hers. She notices as they flick between her eyes and her lips and she decides to give him what he evidently wants. 

As before, when their lips meet, it’s fire and electric and passion but it’s also slow and soft and gentle. It’s full of meaning, too. The words neither of them can bring themselves to say out loud are said through kisses instead. 

His hand migrates from her shoulder to her face, cupping her cheek as he deepens the kiss. At one point, she shifts onto her tiptoes, spare hand coming up to cling onto his arm, begging for him to keep going.

He does. And she’s never been kissed quite so thoroughly before. She doesn’t want it to end, ever. In that moment, she thinks she’d happily let Jughead kiss her like this for the rest of time. 

After what could’ve been 10 seconds, 10 minutes or 10 years, he pulls back, grin taking over his face. His hand doesn’t move from her face, nor her hand, and his eyes don’t leave hers.

Breathing heavily, he whispers a small, “Hi.”

“I really like you,” she whispers back. The words are not what she wants to say, but they’re enough for now.

Somehow, his grin gets bigger. “I really like you, too. In case that wasn’t, uh, obvious.” 

She giggles. “I had a feeling.”

He kisses her again, a short one this time, not allowing it to get too heated.

Feeling a pang of disappointment when he moves back, she decides to do what she’s been wanting to all evening. “Let’s go back to mine.”

“What about-” He clears his throat. “What about your friends?”

She shrugs. “I’ll text them.” 

“Are you sur-”

“Yes.” She nods and smiles at him reassuringly. 

“Okay.”

“Okay.” 

With that, she leads him away from the corner they were hiding in and towards her apartment. 

They walk the journey with few words. The atmosphere between them is thick, laced with implication. She grips his hand as they speed through the dark Seattle streets, praying that some supernatural force can propel them along to her street. 

It doesn’t, of course, but less than 15 minutes later, her building comes into view. She drops his hand to fumble around in her bag for her keys, pulling them out just as they reach the door. 

They make it to the elevator with little incident. Yet once the doors close behind them, leaving no one else in the small space but the two of them, he makes quick work of pushing her against the mirrored wall and pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss. 

As unexpected as it is, it’s _good_. And that’s putting it lightly. A welcome surprise, she thinks to herself as his lips find their way along her jaw and down the side of her neck. She gasps at the sensation, eyes fluttering closed, too lost in his touch that she doesn’t notice the elevator coming to a stop or another person very awkwardly stepping inside. 

The man - not one Betty knows, thank god - clears his throat once he’s inside. Betty jumps, eyes snapping open, hand that found Jughead’s hair tugging him off. He takes longer to process the man’s presence, only removing his lips from her when she pulls him off. He mutters a _fuck_ under his breath while she feels her face turn bright red. 

They compose themselves - kind of - and avoid eye contact with the man for the remainder of the short trip up to the second floor. Betty wonders if she should apologize for what he walked in on, but then the ding of the elevator sounds signaling their floor and Jughead drags her out before she can think twice about it.

She stops right outside the elevator doors, though, voicing her concerns to him.

“He should apologize for interrupting us,” he shrugs. “Come on.” 

Well, he has a point. 

She pushes those thoughts out of her head, replacing them with thoughts of Jughead and what’s to come ( _her, hopefully_ , her brain adds), and follows the tugging of his hand. 

In a fumble of dropped keys and heated kisses, they eventually and unexplainably make it into her apartment. They pass a sleeping Caramel and stumble into Betty’s bedroom, losing bags, shoes and various articles of clothing as they go. Mouths rarely leave one another, and when they do, it’s only to whisper words of approval and affection. Falling onto the bed together, her head becomes hazy and the rest of the evening passes in a blur full of pleasure. 

Afterwards, she falls asleep wrapped in his arms with nothing but a thin duvet covering them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!!
> 
> what did you think? ;) i hope you liked it - please tell me your opinions. and if anyone wants to talk about the episode or, more importantly, ignoring the episode, then i'd love to chat in the comments!! 
> 
> i've been thinking about making a riverdale-specific fan account?? it'd probably be tumblr but i'm not sure. i'd be a good way to chat to all of you if anyone would like that. 
> 
> anyway, thank you all for reading and thank you for kudos and comments!! 
> 
> stay safe and see you next time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead spend the weekend together until Veronica interrupts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! 
> 
> how is everyone doing today? i honestly can't believe it's monday again already. another monday, another chapter. this one explores bughead's relationship (cough) a bit more and of course an interruption from veronica is in store. i hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> see you on the other side.

Betty wakes up alone. Her hand pats the space next to her where, some hours previously, Jughead occupied after they shared an amazing night together. Or so she thought. 

Bleary eyed, she picks up her phone. A series of new messages from both Veronica and Toni, as well as a newly created group chat involving all 5 of them, pop up, but nothing from Jughead. 

_Oh_. She had thought he’d stay with her like he had before. Or that he’d wake her up before he left. Or texted her. 

No, nothing. 

With a sigh, she rolls over and curls around the duvet that smells so much like him. Her head and heart feel heavy now, sad at the outcome, maybe unnecessarily so. She hopes she falls back asleep rather than having to face the day, face the uncertainty of her new relationship, but of course it doesn’t happen. Instead, she lays staring at the ceiling, allowing her mind to jump to the worst conclusion.

But then. _But then._

Her bedroom door creaks open.

And in comes Jughead. Dressed haphazardly in an old-looking gray ‘S’ shirt - she thinks it’s one he’d left here last week and she spent the whole week wanting to wear it to sleep in but not wanting to be _that_ girlfriend just yet - and a pair of boxers, his hair messy from their activities and sleep. He’s carrying a tray holding toast, eggs, and coffee, and he carefully walks over to her, resting it on the empty side of the bed. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he whispers, brushing stray strands of hair out of her face. 

She rubs her eyes as if they’re deceiving her. “Jug?”

He smiles - she can see that. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Shaking her head, she slowly sits up. “I thought you’d left.”

“No,” he frowns. “I just made us breakfast. It’s not much, though.”

She looks down at the tray and smiles at the sentiment. “It’s perfect. C’mon, let’s eat.”

“I had to raid your cupboards for this, Betty,” he says with a laugh, shuffling next to her.

She laughs at that, too, knowing she has minimal usable food in after the chaotic week she had. “I’ll get more in next time,” she tells him through a mouthful of toast. 

He makes some suggestive comment about next time with a raised eyebrow, their usual air of casual flirting coming back into play. The rest of breakfast continues with more comments and even more eating. Betty’s uneasiness she felt when first waking up is quick to disappear, allowing her to enjoy what Jughead has done for her.

Afterwards, she insists on doing the washing up before they _accidentally_ find themselves cuddled up in bed again. If ‘accidentally’ means Betty dragging Jughead by the hand and pulling him back into bed with her, then yes it’s completely accidental. 

And they are _just_ _cuddling_ , for now at least. Jughead is curled around Betty, head resting over her shoulder so they can look at her phone together. She’s showing him a cute dog video on Instagram when texts from Veronica start coming through. It’s only then she realizes that she didn’t let her friends know she was leaving last night. Oops. 

Texts include 5 with only question marks, 6 with her name, and one just now in which Veronica works out why Betty left without saying goodbye. It’s not like she’s the one who _told_ Betty to take him last night or anything. 

Drunk Veronica will forever be a mystery to Betty, that’s for sure.

“How do girls just, like, _know_ this stuff?” Jughead says through a confused giggle. 

“She wants details, Jug, details! This isn't funny!” She buries her head in her pillow, groaning in despair. 

He continues giggling. “You know, I used to get the details of Archie’s sex life. And I definitely didn’t want them! So what does Veronica even want to know?”

That only makes Betty groan louder, so he pokes her in the side until she starts giggling herself. “Stop!” she laughs, removing her head from the pillow.

“What are you gonna tell her, though?”

“That it was amazing,” she says, now smiling. “That I might need reminding of how amazing it was so I can be sure I’m telling her the full truth.”

He smirks. “Oh, is that right?”

She turns around and climbs on top of him, humming in agreement before capturing his lips with hers once again, a reply to Veronica long forgotten.

(He does remind her of how amazing it was. Twice. Once in bed and once in the shower. To save water, of course.

Veronica is left waiting for a reply for a very long time.)

–

They spend most of Saturday in bed. Any efforts of getting up are quick to diminish, leaving them thoroughly enjoying their time together. Neither of them really care, though, just happy to finally be with each other. 

Dinner is takeout in bed because they still don’t want to get up. Betty orders pizza from her phone and makes Jughead get at least partly dressed to answer the door to the delivery driver. Despite his best attempts at saying no, when she flutters her eyelashes and tells him that it’ll be worth his while, he jumps up and shoves his trousers on, foregoing anything on his top half.

While he’s gone, Betty takes the opportunity to pick up a t-shirt from the floor, deciding she should be slightly civilized as they eat. Not that she thinks he would mind either way, though. Without realizing, she puts his t-shirt on - a signature ‘S’ one, this time in a deep purple. 

She hears the opening and closing of her front door and footsteps slowly approaching her room. As expected, a few seconds late, Jughead pushes the door open, two pizza boxes and two cans of soda in hand. He dumps them graciously onto the bed in front of her and sits cross-legged next to her. 

His eyes seemingly stuck to her chest, she laughs and says, “Like what you see, huh?” 

To that, he smirks. “Nice t-shirt.”

She looks down, only to notice her accidental shirt choice. ( _Since when did he have so many shirts here anyway?_ she thinks.) “Oops?” she says with a grin.

He swallows thickly. “It looks better on you.” 

“Maybe I’ll keep it on all the time then.” She fiddles with the hem of the t-shirt, not caring if it lifts up slightly.

“Oh, no, no, no you won’t, Betty Cooper.” 

His hand replaces hers on the shirt as he leans over the pizza boxes to kiss her. She laughs into the kiss, finding him ignoring food to kiss her instead rather funny. It makes it difficult to continue or deepen the kiss, though, teeth clashing slightly. 

They pull apart, albeit reluctantly, both giggling. At the same time, his stomach starts rumbling, making her laugh even harder. 

“Come on,” she laughs, moving back. “Let’s eat.”

He agrees, rolling a can towards her and opening the first pizza box. It’s vegetable supreme because, even though Jughead hates vegetables, he tells Betty that an exception can be made for pizza. Oh, and burgers. The second is a meat feast, not her pizza of choice usually, but boy is it good.

They get through it fast. They worked up an appetite together and the pizza is definitely what they both wanted afterwards. Unsurprisingly with Jughead, there are no leftovers. He polishes off the final slice with a lick of his lips and a smirk. 

Afterwards, she throws the boxes on the floor and flops onto her back. Tugging on his arm, he joins her, groaning as he does so. 

“That was very needed,” he says, rolling over to face her. 

She does the same. “Mm, it was.”

“You know, I wish we could go for- what is it? Round 4?”

“Jughead,” she whines, poking him in the chest. 

He catches her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles. “Let’s give it 10 minutes.”

“Deal,” she smirks. 

–

Rounds 4 and 5 later, it’s dark outside and approaching midnight. Exhausted from the night before, Betty feels herself falling asleep on his shoulder. They’re watching something of Jughead’s choice on her laptop, huddled up under the covers, with Caramel curled up between them, and it’s the perfect picture of domesticity. 

But now Betty’s almost asleep and she hasn’t brushed her teeth or changed into her pajamas. Well, she supposes his t-shirt could make a good night-top but she cannot get to sleep without brushing her teeth. 

She makes an audible sigh, stretching her arms out and accidentally wacks him in the face. “Sorry,” she mutters, sliding her legs off the bed. “I’m gonna get ready for bed.” 

He hums in response, sounding half-asleep himself, and she walks out the room, picking up his shirt as she goes. 

Returning just a few minutes later, her hair is in a messy bun and his shirt is the only piece of clothing she’s wearing. As soon as she enters the room, his eyes snap up to her and his mouth morphs into a smile.

“How do you look amazing in everything?” he asks, glint in his eye. 

She wanders over to him, leaning over him and stamping a kiss on his lips. His arms weave their way around her waist, trying to pull her on top of him but she resists. 

“Nu-uh, mister.” She walks away, a slight smirk on her face. “Go get ready for bed.”

He sighs over-dramatically, hopping off the bed and walking out. “Yes, mom,” he calls back.

While he’s gone, she wraps herself in her duvet and spends the time to reflect on the weekend of firsts. First time her two best friends met, Veronica’s first time in Seattle, the first outing with all 5 of them, and of course, her and Jughead’s first time together. She’s happy, she’s truly happy. The past two days have been more than she ever could’ve hoped for and she’ll forever be grateful for it. 

Jughead comes back to find her smiling to herself. He slides under the covers to join her cocoon, laying on his side so he’s facing her. “You okay there?”

Her smile intensifies. “I’m great.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” he says, hand moving to gently trace the outline of her jaw, smile matching hers. 

“I’m happy, Jug.”

“I’m happy, too, Betty.”

She leans in, then, to kiss him. A gentle kiss, with no intentions other than to say something words currently cannot. He seems to understand, kissing her back with the same emotion. 

Her whole being fills with _him_ and it’s amazing. It heightens her happiness to an extent she didn’t know was possible. Kissing him, having him here; nothing’s ever felt so truly perfect. She never wants it to end.

And as if the day couldn’t get any better, she falls asleep peacefully in his arms as he traces circles on her arm. 

–

There’s an annoying noise. And it’s woken her up. She doesn’t know what it is. Just that it’s really fucking annoying. She wills for it to shut up so she can roll back over and fall asleep again, but it won’t. 

She sighs loudly, tugging her arm from under Jughead. She rubs her eyes and tries to engage her brain in an attempt to work out what exactly is making such a noise and if she can turn it off. 

Sun streams in through her curtains, almost blinding her. She loves the sun, but waking her up on a Sunday is really uncalled for. Especially when Jughead is still sleeping soundly next to her. 

_Ugh_.

Oh right, the noise, too. It’s still going. _What the fuck is it?_

Betty throws her arm out of the bed, vaguely thinking the noise might be coming from her left. It reaches her bedside table, hand landing on top of her phone. Oh? It’s vibrating. _Oh_. It’s what’s making the noise.

She feels Jughead stir beside her as she picks her phone up. Eyes still barely open due to the light, she just about manages to open them to see that it’s Veronica calling her. And not just a normal phone call. No, of course not. A FaceTime call. 

“What’s it?” Jughead mumbles behind her. 

“Veronica wants to FaceTime,” Betty says, deflated. On one hand, she doesn’t want to answer while she’s in bed with Jughead, but on the other hand, she knows Veronica won’t let her _not_ answer. 

Jughead shuffles around, picking up his own phone. “It’s only… Oh. It’s 11:03.”

“Do you mind if I answer? She’ll never let it go if I don’t.” 

He hums a _yes_ sounding noise, pressing a kiss onto her shoulder and pulling up the duvet to cover his bare chest. She giggles, accepting Veronica’s call. 

“Bettykins!” she greets, loudly. “Oh! Are you still in bed?”

“Hi, Veronica. Yeah, we are, sorry.”

“We?!” Veronica gasps, clutching her face with one hand. “Oh my god!”

“Is she always like this?” Jughead whispers to Betty, hiding out of shot. 

Betty giggles, forgetting Veronica would hear, too.

“I’m not…” She sends Betty a pointed look. “...interrupting, am I?”

Jughead snickers, muttering, “I wish,” and Betty kicks him playfully. 

“No, V, we just woke up,” she says, plastering on her best innocent smile. “What’s up? Why’d you call?”

Veronica brings up her Starbucks cup into view, taking a sip before answering. “I was hoping you’d be able to meet for lunch before I go home? My flight’s at 7 and I have some news.”

“Oh, um.” She doesn’t really know what to say. She planned on not moving particularly far from this bed today, and only if it meant taking Jughead with her. But with Veronica leaving tonight and now her news, she supposes she should. It _would_ be nice, after all. 

“Bring Jughead! Which, by the way, _hello_ , it’s nice to see you again, too.” She smirks, teasing tone flooding her voice.

He slowly moves his head to emerge from behind Betty and comes into shot. “Uh, hi, Veronica.” 

Betty interrupts before the moment gets any more awkward than it already is. “We’ll be there, won’t we Jug?”

He blinks, hesitating, and she nudges him again. “Yes, of course.”

“Brilliant!” Veronica exclaims, going into a spiel about some fancy lunch place her friend recommended that they _must_ visit. They decide on a meeting time - around 2 hours from now, and Veronica hangs up, giving Betty a look that she _knows_ means she’s going to have to spill all very soon. 

She throws her phone back on her side table and rolls over to face Jughead. “Sorry about that,” she tells him. “Not quite how I like to be woken up.”

Raising an eyebrow at her, he smirks. “No?”

“No,” she replies, closing the gap between their lips, showing him how she _really_ likes to be woken up.

(It’s slow and gentle and, as always, incredible, beating an unexpected wake-up call from Veronica any day of the week.)

–

Betty finds out that two hours goes a lot quicker when you spend almost all of it _exploring_ your boyfriend than watching something shitty to waste time on your own. 

In other words, they’re late to lunch. 

There’s no real excuse, really, other than Jughead’s sinful tongue and that damn shower. She runs out of time to dry her hair or do her make-up and ends up throwing on a summer dress (luckily for her, the weather _is_ nice enough for one). 

Practically dragging Jughead out the door, they jump in a cab to hopefully save them some time. The journey - usually 10 minutes - takes them almost half an hour, resulting in Betty having to profusely apologize to Veronica when they arrive, who shrugs it off, whispering _details_ when she hugs Betty.

After being in such a hurry all morning, Betty assumed that after inviting Jughead along, Veronica would’ve also invited Cheryl as Toni’s plus one. There was never any question about whether or not Toni would be invited, which is why when Veronica, and Veronica alone, is waiting outside some fancy-looking sandwich restaurant in downtown Seattle, Betty is confused.

Veronica leads them in. “I cannot _wait_ to try it!” she tells them, obviously very excited about this particular place.

“Aren’t we waiting for the others?” Betty asks, puzzled. 

“Others? Oh, no, they’re not coming. Come on!” She walks in, seemingly not bothered if they follow immediately behind. 

“Why aren’t they coming?” Jughead says, even though he knows Betty won’t know. 

She sighs. “No idea, Jug, but I guess we should-” She gestures towards the back of Veronica, entering into the grand doors. 

He nods, taking her hand into his and following Veronica.

Inside, it’s both everything and nothing like Betty expected. It’s not as grand and posh as the outside suggests, but it is quite amazing looking. She doesn’t feel overdressed, like she’d feared, and Jughead isn’t underdressed in his usual attire. It’s a strange mix of Pop’s diner and the Ritz, familiar and new in equal measures. It’s not like anything Betty’s ever come across before, but she’s not surprised Veronica chose somewhere like this.

They follow her to a round booth, seats more classy than those of Pop’s in a black leather rather than the neon red color she’s used to. There’s more cutlery than strictly necessary for a lunchtime menu, but a nice touch nevertheless. 

A waiter is already there ready to take their orders. Veronica gets a sandwich of unknown (to Betty) filling, Betty the closest thing to a ham and cheese one she can find, and Jughead a burger-sounding one. The waiter rushes off, leaving them to it in a flash. 

“So,” Betty says, feeling mildly uncomfortable. “Uh, what happened with Toni and Cheryl?”

“Well, that’s part of my news!” 

Betty looks at Jughead, who is awkwardly sitting in between her and Veronica. He is staring intensely at the cutlery rather than at either of them. She nudges his leg with her knee and he looks up at her, smiling gently. Her hand, resting on the space in between them, is joined by his. She smiles back at him, both of them momentarily forgetting about Veronica’s existent. 

But then she loudly clears her throat. “Am I interrupting the love birds again?” she says smugly. 

At that, Betty snatches her hand away from Jughead’s and her eyes move to Veronica as a blush covers her face. “Sorry, V.”

“I’m not,” Jughead mumbles, to which Betty kicks him _again_ and Veronica giggles.

“Were you born with that sarcasm?” asks Veronica. 

“Nope. Sarcasm this good has taken years to perfect.”

She looks at him with uncharacteristic disbelief. “I like you, Jughead.”

At that, Betty is surprised. It’s not that she didn’t think Veronica liked him, it’s more about her sudden outward expression of such feelings. She’s pleased, though, she’s really pleased. The two most important people in her life both _like_ her boyfriend and she couldn’t have wished for anything more. 

“You know, Veronica, I like you, too,” Jughead says, a sly grin spreading across his face. “I know, I’m surprised as well. Who would’ve thought it?”

Betty laughs while they exchange a few more words before the waiter interrupts with their food. The first bites are eaten in silence, all enjoying the admittedly wonderful food that Veronica had promised. And it really is amazing. She can see why she hadn’t been here before, but now she definitely wants to come back.

“Ugh, Veronica, I need to take food recommendations from you more often,” Jughead half-moans, shoving the second half of his sandwich in his mouth. “This is so good.”

Eating in tiny pieces she cut with a knife and fork, Veronica finishes her bite and smiles. “Happy to be of service.”

“How do you even find out about these places, V?” Betty asks between mouthfuls. 

“Oh, you know, this and that.”

Still somewhat a surprise to Betty, Veronica _knows_ people. ‘This and that’, as she says, means she knows someone who knows someone, and even after years of friendship. She is, quite literally, NYC royalty - the Lodge name is not something to be sniffed at - yet to Betty, she’s just Veronica, her best friend from college. 

_Weird,_ she thinks as the conversation continues on around her. 

After lunch, the trio stay in the restaurant for coffee. Veronica suggests rum (of course), but after Friday and the time of the day, Betty is more than happy when Jughead suggests coffee instead. 

They end up so engrossed in conversation that she forgets, for a moment, the real reason they’re here - Veronica’s news. 

It’s approaching 4 when Veronica mentions it. “As much as I wish we could continue this all day, I must dash soon. Just a few pieces of business before my flight to sort. But, I will be back soon!”

It takes Betty a few moments to process.

“That’s great!” Jughead tells her, a hand reaching up to pat her on the shoulder. 

“Wait…” Betty begins, confused. “You’re coming back? When? Why?”

“Well, that’s why I invited you both here today.” She takes a sip of her drink, eyes darting between Betty and Jughead. “Cheryl and I are going into business together!”

Jughead gasps. “Oh my god, the maple rum?”

“Yes! Cheryl and Toni are sorting a few things now, which is why they couldn’t make it, and I have to meet them again before my flight.” She pauses, grinning. “But, short term, I’ll be back within 2 weeks.”

“V, this is amazing,” Betty says, slightly in shock. “That’s really great news.” 

“I know!” she squeals. “And… long term, I’m going to look into relocating here.”

Betty’s mouth drops open. “Oh my god,” she beams. “You- you’re _moving_ to Seattle?”

She grins back. “Yeah. I’ll be able to focus on developing and selling the maple rum here and across the border to Canada while my team deals with selling in New York.”

“That’s brilliant, V.”

“And, of course, I’ll be near my favorite love birds.”

Betty’s eyes begin to water - tears of happiness - so she jumps up and walks around the table to where Veronica is sitting, pulling her into a hug. “I can’t believe it,” she mumbles. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

They pull back, and Veronica says, “Me too, Betty,” tears threatening to spill out of her eyes, too. 

Shuffling back around to Jughead, she sits back down even closer to him, hand resting on his thigh. 

“So,” he says, concealing a grin. “Where do I apply for the job as _rum tester_ then?” 

They all burst out laughing, sounds of happiness flooding the room. It’s a precious moment between the three of them, completely careless and _happy_. It’s one they will all treasure together, and soon, together will include distance, and moments like this will be far more common. 

Shortly after, Veronica announces that she must go to see Cheryl and Toni before her flight. She pays for their meals even with Betty and Jughead protesting against it, and they all head outside to where a taxi is waiting for Veronica. Their goodbyes are short, but luckily it’s a _see you soon_ rather than a _not sure when I’ll see you again._ Betty and Veronica have had many of both before, now immensely glad it’s the former over the latter.

Veronica bids goodbye to Jughead first, hugging him gently and telling him to _look after my best friend or you’ll never be seen again_. Betty laughs, not only because it’s a very Veronica thing to say but because she doesn’t doubt that it’s true. Jughead laughs, too, albeit more uneasily than Betty. He promises he won’t let her down, and stands back to give the girls a moment. 

“You got yourself a good one there, B.” She glances over to Jughead who smiles at her. 

Betty blushes. “Thanks, V.” She pulls her into a tight hug. “We’ll see you soon,” she whispers. 

“You will,” Veronica grins, bringing her forefinger up to wipe away unintended tears. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

Instead of saying goodbye, Veronica sends her a watery smile and turns around to jump in the taxi before feelings overwhelm either of them. It’s something they started to do when a goodbye felt like too much, a step too far. A wave from the taxi was enough. 

Today, though, Betty has one more thing to say. “Hey, V!” 

She pauses, turning around to look at her. 

Betty beckons Jughead back over, and he wraps an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Don’t forget to keep an eye out for any long lost friends willing to sit through delays with you!” 

Giggling, Jughead adds, “Who knows? He might still be crushing on you after 5 years!” 

“You two are grossly adorable,” Veronica calls before disappearing into the taxi. 

They wave until she disappears beyond the horizon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!
> 
> what did you think? i really like this chapter, and i hope you did too. we've still got a few more to go yet, though. i didn't wanna give up this universe tbh.
> 
> thank you for reading and thank you for leaving kudos and comments. 
> 
> stay safe & see you soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glance into the routine Betty and Jughead create together over the weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello and welcome to chapter 14. this one is a short but fluffy one so i do hope you enjoy. see you on the flip side.

After the weekend of firsts, Betty and Jughead fall into a routine together. 

On Friday evenings, work permitting, they meet up at Betty’s apartment - always hers because of Caramel. They order takeout before snuggling up under a blanket on the sofa, some Netflix show or film playing in the background. More often than not, one or both of them fall asleep, waking up several hours later, the _are you still watching?_ Netflix page displayed on the TV in front of them. Jughead usually wakes up first, quietly turning the TV off. He’ll sit for a while before getting impatient and gently waking Betty up. 

Of course, she’s never mad at him. In fact, over time, she grows to _like_ it when he wakes her up in the early hours of Saturday because she knows what happens next. He’ll pick her up bridal style and take her to her room, kicking the door open as he goes. She bounces slightly on the bed as he puts her down, giggling before he climbs on top of her. Kissing her until her mind goes fuzzy, they don’t go back to sleep for many hours.

Saturday mornings tend to be lazy ones. Waking up later, thoroughly enjoying each other, then begrudgingly getting up for food. Sometimes they’ll walk to Betty’s favorite bakery or sometimes she’ll make them something at home. After that, they’ll take a walk to the coast - the same stretch where they had their first unofficial date - or a local park, taking in the lovely summer weather. 

Meeting Toni on Saturday evenings has become somewhat of a habit, too. She’s usually accompanied by Cheryl and, when available, during her back and forth trips of Seattle, Veronica will join them. Whether it’s drinks at a bar, meal out, or evening in, they always enjoy seeing their friends. The teasing comments about their relationship are only more frequent when all 5 of them are together, but Betty now laughs them off or sends one right back. 

Once alone again, they fall into bed together, drifting into a peaceful sleep hours later. 

Sundays are always quiet days. The only reason to get out of bed is food, and never for long, spending as much time as possible _together_. These days are her favorites because of this, but they are also bittersweet. Knowing that, later that evening, he has to retreat back to his own apartment for the week is sad. They try to see each other during the week, but their respective work commitments often make that difficult. 

(Betty tells herself that it makes the weekends more special, but really, she misses him like crazy.)

And this is the routine they fall into ever so easily. It feels natural. To have a routine with him, to have him stay with her, to be with him. It feels like the most natural thing in the world. 

_Loving him feels like the most natural thing in the world_ , she wants to add, but it’s only been a matter of weeks. Is it too soon? It is too soon. Is it? Does she really love him? It sure feels like it. 

From the moment they locked eyes in the airport, something felt right. Seeing him again, it felt like fate. Serendipity, some might say. A chance meeting that has led to all the happiness she never thought she’d get. 

So, yeah, she’s almost certain she loves him. She just isn’t sure when is the right time to tell him, worried that she’ll scare him off if she says it too soon. 

–

The rest of the summer passes in a flash, and before she knows it, it’s late September, bringing slighter cooler temperatures and splashes of orange and red all over the city. 

Betty loves fall. It brings an end to the super-touristy part of the year, meaning the city quietens down and makes way for the holidays. In previous years, she would make the most of her favorite time by taking walks through parks, kicking leaves as she goes, alone or occasionally with Toni. This year, though, she has Jughead.

One Saturday towards the end of September, they’re walking hand in hand through a park they hadn’t been to before. It’s on the outskirts of the city, so they take a bus to get there. And it’s worth the journey. Getting out of the city always does Betty good, and the park is lovely. A walkway leads them around a clear lake, surrounded by trees of orange and red, leaves starting to fall. 

Jughead has his camera with him. That’s something she’s learned about him over the months, something that sets him apart from the reserved Riverdale boy she remembered. He loves photography. 

When he first mentions it to her, he’s incredibly shy about it. She manages to coax him into showing her some of his photos first, before eventually he asks to photograph her. Of course, she agrees, and that’s when they come to this amazing park. 

He takes photos of her within the trees, under handfuls of thrown leaves, by the lake, wherever he feels inspired. 

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” he says after snapping one of her sitting on an old wooden bench. 

She blushes, ducking her head bashfully. She still can’t take his compliments, no matter how much he gives them.

Rejoining her, he sits back on the bench, showing her some of the photos so far.

One of her under a shower of leaves comes up. The colors of the leaves compliment the blonde of her hair, standing out against the gray-blue sky. She’s grinning in it, a glint in her eyes as she looks not at the camera but at him. She looks happy, care-free, and _in love_ , much like that day on the beach. It’s a perfect image, condensing her and her feelings down into a single still. 

“I love that one,” she whispers, eyes moving up to meet his. 

He smiles softly. “Me too,” he mumbles, pressing a short kiss to her lips.

_I love_ you, gets stuck at the back of her throat, but that’s where it stays. For the time being, at least.

They get lunch at the park from a little hut and sit on a picnic bench overlooking the lake. Conversation flows as easily as always, flirty and teasing comments shot back and forth. They giggle like teenagers, swapping food and constantly maintaining some kind of physical contact. It’s sickly sweet, really, but neither of them can bring themselves to care. 

After lunch, they’re continuing a slow walk around the lake when Jughead brings up something she hadn’t thought about before. 

“Hey, do you know if Veronica’s in town for my birthday weekend?”

She literally stops in her tracks. “Your birt- wait _what_?”

_Birthday?_ How did she forget about his birthday? 

She remembers, somehow, that it’s October 2nd. She doesn’t think he ever officially told her but she seems to be able to recall his 16th birthday. Archie tried to throw him a party and it backfired. He invited the whole year, her included, but of course she wasn’t allowed to attend. Kevin did, though, telling her the next day of the disaster it was. Apparently, Jughead stormed off and didn’t return, mumbling something about hating his birthday. 

All these years later, she wonders if he feels the same about his birthday. But mostly, she wonders how she forgot about it. 

He stops, too, having been pulled back by her hand intertwined with his. His face twists with confusion. “Uh, yeah? Two weekends time?” When she doesn’t reply, he continues. “Sorry, did you- did I not tell you?” 

Her own face softens. “No, it’s okay. I remembered from high school.”

“You did?” 

“Yeah. Your 16th was, uh, gossip for a while.” She squeezes his hand, tugging it to signal that she wants to keep walking. 

He follows her. “I still haven’t forgiven Archie for that.”

They chat about that particular day and the events surrounding it for a while. He tells her that, even though he specifically told Archie not to do anything, he did anyway, and that’s why he was upset about it. His birthday often brought much grief within his family, so he’d learned to ignore it as much as possible. Plus, Riverdale Jughead did not like being the center of attention nor surprises - neither of those facts are ones she’s shocked about - and much preferred# going to the Bijou and Pop’s. 

“How do you feel about your birthday today, then?” she asks. “How does Seattle Jughead feel?”

He lets out a breathy laugh. “Well, since Seattle Jughead has the girlfriend of his dreams, I think he won’t mind a little birthday celebration.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

After much deliberation, they agree on forming a plan together as Jughead still isn’t the biggest fan of surprises. As it turns out, Veronica is in Seattle on his birthday weekend. Betty remembers this because she got a very excitable phone call about a series of house viewings she has planned in the city, squealing on the other end of the phone. 

A quick text to Toni also confirms her and Cheryl’s whereabouts for the same weekend. Toni, as always, is around, but Cheryl is busy in Vancouver looking for maple syrup suppliers until Sunday morning. Telling Toni to assure Cheryl that her presence will be greatly missed earns them a photo of them both looking delighted. Betty snaps a quick one of her and Jughead to send back, smiling at the series of heart emojis she gets in response. 

Now aware of which of their closest friends are around that weekend, they start talking through their options as they continue their slow walk around the lake. 

Jughead’s actual birthday is on the Friday, so they decide to keep that as a _them_ day, with Betty insisting she takes the day off work with him. He agrees, reluctantly, and she begins to formulate a secret plan for the day in her head. Not a surprise, per se, but a day of showing him how much she ... _loves?_ him. 

And, fuck, she better start thinking about what gift she can get him. 

That’s a job for later, she decides, turning her attention back to him. 

“So, instead of going out, I was thinking we could do a games night. Play the dreaded Monopoly, have a few drinks, snacks, that kind of thing.”

The enthusiasm in his voice makes her smile. _God, he’s so adorable._

“Sure, Jug, that sounds great,” she replies, hoping she sounds genuine because it _does_ sound great. “Everyone can come to mine.”

He stops then, dragging her to the off the walkway and behind a tree. At first, she isn’t sure why but then he drops her hand to cup her face, pulling her in for a rough kiss. As she smiles into it, the _L_ word whirls around in her mind. She wants to say it, she wants to tell the whole damn world that she, Betty Cooper, loves him, Jughead Jones, so damn much. 

But she doesn’t. 

Not yet.

(But she will soon, she decides.)

They make their way home after that impromptu kiss, impatiently deciding to splash out on a taxi rather than have to make the bus journey back. Betty’s apartment is closer, so they end up at hers, scarring _another_ building-neighbor along the way. Neither care enough, though, too busy stumbling into her apartment.

Afterwards, they lay in bed, barely covered by the duvet, both grinning like idiots. 

“Will it always be like this?” she asks, running her fingers up and down his exposed chest. 

“Mm, I think so,” he replies, distracted by the slight tickling sensation. 

She chuckles. “I lov--” _Fuck_. No. Not now. She can’t let it just slip out in a moment like this, even if it does feel like the most natural thing. “Well, I hope so,” she quickly forces out.

He doesn’t appear to notice her almost-admission of love, thank God. Instead, he sits up, saying, “Hey, shall we look through the photos from today?”

Agreeing, she grabs her laptop from the side of her bed and hands it to him, lying back down while he gets them ready.

She thinks about what so nearly slipped out of her mouth, wondering whether it’d be so bad if it had. In her few seconds of contemplation, she decides that it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t have been bad at all. She’s pretty certain he feels the same way at this point, between the way he acts around her to little bits he tells Toni. 

Plus, she knows her own feelings are real by the way it felt so easy to say it in that moment. 

Clambering back onto the bed, he takes her through the photos he’d taken. Ones of nature and the wildlife are skipped through relatively quickly, yet when he reaches ones of her, he talks her through almost every detail. His eyes light up as he speaks, pointing out the contrast between colors, and specific features that make every photo so uniquely _him_. 

Of course, they’re all incredible. And she tells him so as many times as she can. He blushes at her comments, saying that it’s all her. She argues with him, but only half-heartedly, and he wins by silencing her with a kiss. 

In reality, both of them win. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again. how was that for a little chapter?
> 
> to keep you updated- i have currently written and finished the bulk of this fic. it will have 17 chapters all together but i am planning on writing an epilogue at some point, it just probably won't come out straight away bc i have yet to get round to doing the writing part. i will though, promise!
> 
> anyway, i was writing bughead the other day and i just... forgot that they're from riverdale. honestly, im still ignoring canon so somehow it slipped my mind that they are in fact from that show. whoops, i guess. 
> 
> as always, thank you for reading, thank you for kudos, and thank you for comments. i appreciate it all. 
> 
> stay safe and see you soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can assure you that this chapter of jughead's birthday is significantly less awkward and angsty than the canon version. please enjoy.

Jughead’s birthday sneaks up on Betty. Work gets busy again, and without her realizing, it’s just two days before and she may or may not have sorted out a gift, plan for the day, _or_ plan for the weekend. 

Luckily, though, over the years of living with Veronica Lodge, Betty has become very good at organizing last-minute events. It was something her friend used to love doing in college. Same day parties, and, _oh, by the way, it’s this guy I like’s birthday tomorrow, help me with a gift?_ seemed to be of regular occurrence. And Betty always-happy-to-help Cooper, always did her best. It’s not something Alice would approve of, so that, in turn, made her get even better at it.

She gets home late from work on Wednesday evening, wanting nothing more than to just crash on the couch, ring Jughead, and convince him to bring food round to her, and use him as a pillow to get some well-deserved sleep. But no. She needs to shop. And plan. 

First things first, she needs to sort out a gift. Now, she likes to think she knows Jughead pretty well at this point, but she cannot for the life of her think of a gift he’d like. So she does what all good girlfriends would do: stalk his Instagram.

He posts more regularly than he did when he first followed her. Anything from food to photography to photos of them. His feed is relatively aesthetically pleasing, she notices, which makes her laugh because she’s sure it hasn’t been done on purpose. She scrolls through it, but nothing sparks any ideas until she gets to the second photo on his account: a selfie geotagged at JFK. 

She remembers that day vividly. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, really, from almost missing her flight to the delays to finding herself back in the company of Jughead Jones. But it was a good one. One that paved the way for everything they have created together. 

And it gives her a potentially brilliant idea. 

–

The following evening, Jughead turns up, overnight bag in hand, as expected. Their usual Friday evening routine instead takes place tonight, both seemingly unable to stop grinning the whole time. 

On Friday morning, Betty wakes up early to make him breakfast. She’s tired from the night before, but quietly drags herself out of bed to get to work. 

Breakfast consists of his favorite: pancakes, bacon, and floods of Blossom-certified maple syrup, courtesy of Cheryl. She sets everything up while the batter is resting, and heads back into her room to wake him up in the best way possible. 

Afterwards, he watches her make the pancakes dressed in nothing more than his t-shirt. She serves his with a single candle on top, and sings _happy birthday_ to him on her own, blushing profusely as she does so. 

While they eat, he tries to get her to tell him what she has planned for the day. Stubborn as always, she doesn’t give in, leaving him throwing random guesses around and failing miserably. 

When they’ve finished breakfast, they shower together, taking the extra time they don’t usually have to be slow and gentle. 

Once dressed in casual clothing, as she requested, they head out with still just Betty knowing their end destination. They get on a bus going east, passing Jughead’s work building as they go. Reaching their stop, she can tell from his face of confusion that he’s none the wiser.

Just a few minutes of walking later, they stand outside Seattle’s Photographic Center. 

He looks at her in disbelief. “Betty is this- are we-?”

“Yep,” she giggles. “Come on.” 

She leads him inside, speaking to a receptionist before leading him into the exhibition room. She can’t hide her smile when his face lights up at the room in front of them. 

It’s a pretty standard room for something like this. White walls, photo frames splashed around. Yet there’s something about the atmosphere in this particular one that makes it special. To the left of them, the wording on the wall tells them the title of this exhibition. _Salt/Water_. Some information explains a bit about it. It explores the simple concept of water - something covering most of the Earth - from a new perspective, something Betty thought Jughead would appreciate with his evident appreciation for nature.

She starts moving towards the first photo that catches her eye, but he doesn’t follow. When she looks around, he’s standing with his mouth open in amazement. 

“Betty, I- This is- Wow.”

“You like it?” she asks, already sure of his answer.

His eyes meet hers. “Betty, I love it.” He kisses her soundly. “Thank you.”

With a smile, she grabs his hand and they wander off around the room.

Similar to when he showed her his own photography, he spends time looking at and analyzing each photo, pointing out details to her from a photographer's point of view. Betty can appreciate them for their aesthetic but Jughead has such an interesting perspective on them. It’s fascinating to listen to, and she could listen to him all day. 

They spend hours slowly walking around the exhibit together, taking in every photo. It’s an experience she’ll never forget, something she doesn’t do very often but wishes she did. She thinks she’ll try to bring Jughead to these kinds of things more often because watching him, listening to him, it makes her extremely happy. She thinks it makes him happy, too. 

–

Betty takes Jughead for lunch in a diner as close to their favorite back in Riverdale, Pop’s. It’s not as good, of course, but a fair substitute nevertheless. They sit side by side in a booth, thighs touching, because they’re _that_ couple now, apparently. Not that she can bring herself to care, though.

Ordering what seems like far too much food, she isn’t sure why she’s surprised when he engulfs his share _and_ the rest of hers. He’s Jughead, after all, food is his specialty. And it is good food. Not great, not Pop’s standard, but good enough.

After lunch, Betty lets Jughead decide what to do next. She didn’t want to overwhelm him with too many surprises, knowing he still doesn’t like them that much. Plus, there’s the surprise of his gift left, too. So afternoon activities are his choice. 

“Anything?” he questions, sipping a too-thin chocolate milkshake. “I can choose anything?”

She nods and then shrugs. “Anything within reason.”

He smirks at her. “Well then, Betty Cooper, we better get going.”

Not bothering to finish the milkshake, he stands up, holding his hand out for her. She takes it, laughing questioningly. 

“Just trust me,” he tells her.

And she does, she does trust him, so she lets him lead her out the door and to wherever he has in mind. 

–

As it turns out, Jughead’s idea for afternoon activities involves going to Safeway to buy _even more_ food and head back to Betty’s for, well, Netflix and chill. 

He picks up, again, immense amounts of food. Betty trails behind him in amazement at what he chooses. Without him realizing, though, she sneaks in a few healthy things - grapes, strawberries, fruit bars - in the hope that he eats at least _something_ not made entirely of sugar. 

They leave the shop and with a grin on his face, he holds out the hand that isn’t weighed down with a shopping bag. She takes it and they head towards her apartment. 

“What do you wanna watch?” she says as they walk along 3rd Avenue. There’s a hint of suggestion in her voice, because she knows there won’t be much watching going on.

“Pulp Fiction,” he replies decisively, looking over at her with a glint in his eye. 

She hums. “I’ve never seen it.”

“Perfect,” he smirks. “You’ll have to concentrate, then.”

“Oh I will.”

They speed up after that, both acutely aware of the rising tension between them. 

Arriving at Betty’s apartment just 10 minutes later - a journey that has taken her double that on a slow-walking day - there’s only some pretense left between them. Jughead does set out a few choice snacks on the coffee table and he does bring up _Pulp Fiction_ on Netflix. 

Betty, on the other hand, excuses herself to the bathroom to compose herself slightly. Taking a few deep breaths, she decides that now is the time to give him his gift. She’s nervous. She’s really nervous about it. It could be too much. Maybe it is too much too soon.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

No turning back now.

She exits the bathroom, hopping into her bedroom to pick up the white envelope labeled with his name written in her neat, loopy handwriting. She heads back to Jughead, swallowing down her lingering nerves. 

“Hey,” she says, voice wavering, as she sits next to him. 

He’d been scrolling on his phone, shoveling handfuls of popcorn into his mouth, but as she sits down, his full attention is on here. 

“Hi,” he smiles. “You okay?”

_Well,_ she thinks, _ask me after I give you this._

Instead, she nods, and says, “Yeah, uh, this is for you.” Her slightly shaky hand reaches out the short distance to hand him the envelope. “Happy birthday, Jug.”

“Betty…” he gasps, taking it. “You didn’t have to do this.”

She shrugs. “I wanted to.”

“Can I…?” He trails off, so she just gestures towards it, signally for him to open it, even though her brain is screaming at her not to do it right now. 

Of course, he can’t hear her brain and goes ahead with carefully opening the envelope. It takes him a few seconds to get through the seal, but a few seconds is not long enough for Betty. She watches intensely as he pulls out the card.

Eyes lighting up, they scan across the front. 

After much deliberation, she’d bought a _boyfriend_ card. Nothing too lovey-dovey or romantic, just _to my boyfriend on your birthday_ with a simple pattern. But he seems to love it. 

He opens it up and there it is. A folded piece of paper that is his gift. 

“Betty, what’s this?” He holds up the paper, questioning look on his face. 

“Just open it,” she mumbles.

So he does. He reads it carefully, eyes then coming up to meet hers. There’s a glint in them and his mouth is open slightly, lips curved up into a small smile. He turns the paper around to show her as if she wasn’t the one who put it in there. 

The top of the document reads: _Booking confirmation for flights Seattle (SEA) to Vancouver (YVR)._

Nervously forcing her gaze back to him, she’s pleasantly surprised when she sees that his uncertain smile has morphed into a fully-blown, toothy grin. 

“This… This is--” 

She cuts him off. “It’s not too much, is it? I know it’s soon but I cleared the time off with Toni and it’s only the weekend so I thought we could visit JB, go up to the mountains. You could take some photos and-”

_He_ cuts _her_ off this time. He takes her face into his hands and presses a short but firm kiss to her lips. Pulling back, he’s grinning. “It’s an amazing idea, Betty, thank you.”

Relief floods her now, and she breaks out into a huge smile. _He likes it, he really likes it._

But then his face drops. His grin subsides and his eyebrows furrow slightly. He swallows visibly, eyes falling from hers. A look of… concern, she thinks, covers his face. 

The initial flood of relief turns to regret and doubt. She can almost feel everything she’s built up with him tumble down with every second. _It was too soon. It was too much, too soon,_ her brain repeats, _I’ve fucked everything up. He hates me._

But then. _But then_.

He closes his eyes for a moment, allowing his face to soften and relax. When he opens them again, he’s looking at her with an adoration she’s never seen before. A hand comes up to rest on the base of her neck, and his mouth lifts back up into a small smile. 

“Betty,” he whispers, voice breathy. He swallows thickly again. “Betty, I… I love you.” 

Oh. _Oh._ Well that explains his nerves.

_He loves you! He loves you back!_ Betty’s brain screams in excitement, _Holy shit he loves you back_.

Unable to stop herself, she starts laughing, leaning her head into his touch. “You beat me to it!” she curses, jokingly hitting him on the leg. 

He smiles unsurely. “What?” 

“I love you, too, idiot.” 

They both cannot contain their grins anymore, simply staring and grinning at each other. The moment is filled with pure happiness, one that quickly leads to their lips meeting somewhere in the middle. 

At first, their kisses are slow and unhurried. They bask in the moment together, both incredibly happy, enjoying the soft movement of their lips against each other. Jughead’s hands reach up to cup her face, pulling her even closer. She takes that as an invitation, so she pulls away, pushing him back onto the sofa and climbing on top of him as best as she can. 

Careful not to put too much weight on him, she settles on him gently, leaning back down to kiss him again. He smiles into it, allowing his hands to begin exploring her.

After that, nothing is slow anymore. Their kisses become heated and needy, hands moving further than before, wanting more and more with each passing second. 

Pulling back for air, Betty leans her forehead against his. “I love you,” she mumbles. “I love you so much.”

“16 year old me can’t quite believe it,” he says, smiling bashfully. He pauses, pulling her down by the back of her neck to kiss her. “I love you, too.”

Not much is said, then, mouths meeting and only parting again to pull clothes off. They don’t move off the couch, even if they probably should, movie staying paused on the title screen and snacks long forgotten. 

–

Later, they do make it to bed, both radiating bliss and contentment. They lay wrapped in each other, with Jughead slowly tracing hearts on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” he says, looking at her with a glint in his eye. 

“What for?” 

He sighs contently. “Betty, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had. _You_ did that.”

Trying to hide a smile, she shrugs. “It was nothing.” 

Her shrug accidentally nudges his hand off of her shoulder, so he readjusts it, fingertips tickling her side slightly. 

She starts giggling. “No,” she whines, dragging out the single syllable in a child-like fashion, but it gets cut off by a yawn. 

He stops tickling her almost immediately. “Sorry,” he mutters, hand moving back to rest on her shoulder. “Let’s get some sleep.” Humming lightly in response, her eyes are already closed. “Busy day tomorrow,” she says softly. “Goodnight, Jug.”

“Goodnight, Betty.”

Tugging the duvet over them, she rolls over and pushes back into him, becoming the little spoon. In response, he curves his body around hers, arms wrapping around her. The hand tracing shapes on her shoulder continues, lulling her into a peaceful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! how was that for an angstless jughead's birthday? another one of my favorite chapters tbh, but i think the next one is my ultimate favorite. (possibly. i think i've said that before... oops.) 
> 
> btw, the photography exhibition is based off a real one that happened a few years back in seattle! check it out [here](http://pcnw.org/gallery/exhibitions/saltwater/) and [here](https://www.dailyserving.com/2016/02/saltwater-at-the-photographic-center-northwest/).
> 
> also! they finally said i love you! i spent far too long wondering if there had been enough buildup or if it had been rushed, but i'm happy with how this turned out so :')
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this chapter. thank you so much for reading and for all of your kudos and comments. ao3 emails get me through life. 
> 
> stay safe & see you soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Toni join Betty and Jughead for a games night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 17! enjoy!
> 
> (more warnings for alcohol drinking)

Saturday morning with Betty and Jughead goes how any morning when they don’t have much to do goes. Except this particular morning, there’s the added luxury of being able to say _I love you_ with no fear. This giddiness and happiness makes for a morning full of extreme satisfaction, somehow more than usual, and the both of them eventually roll out of bed at 12:30 to hop in the shower (together, of course) before heading out for a late lunch and supplies shopping for Jughead’s birthday gathering that evening. 

Betty wears Jughead’s flannel shirt out, not caring that it’s far too big for her, just wanting the feeling of _his_ to be splashed all over her for everyone to see. It’s comfortable, too, which is a bonus, and warm enough for the early fall weather of the city. They walk hand in hand, as always, to a local cafe where Jughead is delighted to find out that they serve burgers on their lunchtime menu. He orders two, _just in case,_ he tells Betty, and she gets a grilled cheese. They fill the time with comfortable conversation about their upcoming trip.

“What’s the weather like in Vancouver?” he asks, swallowing a bite of burger.

“Same as here, I think.” He hums a positive sounding noise. “JB’s really excited, you know.”

Betty smiles, sipping her coffee. “Do you think she’ll like me?”

“I hope so. She always wanted a sister, so,” he replies, shrugging slightly. “By the way, she said we can borrow her truck for the weekend so we can go up into the mountains. She’s given me some good photography spots.”

“That sounds great, Jug.” Her eyes find his and she notes the tiny wrinkles that form at the side of them when he grins at her, just like he’s doing now. “I can’t wait,” she adds, still staring at him.

“Me neither,” he says, face lit up. 

She turns her attention back to her food, then, and they continue eating mostly in silence. Every so often, Jughead will pitch up with a thought or two about what he wants to do this evening or on their trip, leaving Betty a melting mess at his adorable excitement for their plans. 

Once they finish eating, they head off towards the shopping mall in search of a couple of extra games that Toni had mentioned they could play. It’s busy as it’s Saturday, so they weave in and out of the crowds and shops as quickly as possible, finding games and, much to Jughead’s protest, some birthday balloons to decorate Betty’s apartment.

After that, they go to Safeway again for more snacks and drinks as well as a delayed birthday cake. Feeling like a mother in charge of an over-excited child, Betty has to limit what they buy, reminding Jughead of the abandoned snacks they’d bought yesterday. He smirks at that comment, proceeding to act far more adult-like, much to her relief. 

But not for long. 

“It’s your birthday,” shrugs Betty after 10 minutes of wandering up and down the same aisle, acting as if she’s losing the will to live but secretly enjoying watching him struggle to choose. 

He huffs, folding his arms over his chest. “But what would Veronica like? I want her to like it, too, Betty!” 

She can’t hold a giggle in anymore. “I’m sorry,” she laughs, grabbing his arm and untangling it from the other so she can thread their fingers together. 

Mouth curving up, he starts laughing, too. “And here I was thinking our first argument was going to be over cake! But you were having me on!” he declares, overdramatically. 

She holds her empty hand up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It was just funny to watch you.”

“Oh, Betty.” He rolls his eyes affectionately, nudging into her and gesturing to the shelves. “So, what _would_ Veronica like?”

They decide on chocolate, in the end, and Betty begins to wonder why it took so long for them to choose in the first place. She laughs to herself, despite it, following Jughead and the shopping cart to the tills. 

–

Arriving back at her apartment roughly 2 hours before their friends are scheduled to arrive, Betty and Jughead get to work on decorating and setting up. She clears the coffee table while he blows up balloons, conveniently disappearing after just a few minutes, coming back covered in cat fur. A grin, a kiss and a mumbled _love you_ against her lips gets him out of that one, something that actually benefits them both. 

He does help after that, though, setting out bowls of food and eating a lot of it as he goes. She pretends to be mad again, biting her tongue, but he sees right through her this time, distracting her with _more_ kisses instead. 

They make time for each other before their guests arrive - _because_ _it’s my birthday_ , he tells her - and it’s worth it even if the apartment doesn’t look as perfect as it could. It doesn’t need to, she knows this. Jughead likes it as it is and Veronica and Toni will, too, so she leaves it and indulges both him and herself. 

The door knocks just 10 minutes after they finish, clothes haphazardly thrown back on and hair still messy, but neither of them can bring themselves to care. 

They answer it together, and it feels domestic, something Betty wants more of. 

Veronica throws her arms around Jughead first, half-singing, half-yelling, “Happy birthday, Jughead!” 

He chuckles lightly, responding to her hug in good nature, while Toni hugs Betty. 

They swap then, Veronica moving to Betty and Toni to Jughead. 

“Missed you, B,” Veronica whispers. “But this might be the last time coming here is just a visit.”

Betty pulls back, stunned. “Wait…” Jughead and Toni look over at her, too. “The house…?” she asks, half-smiling on her face. 

“It was amazing! I made an offer!” 

“Oh my God,” Betty gasps, pulling her best friend into another hug. 

“Congratulations!” the other two say at the same time, bundling themselves around them to form a big group hug in the small hallway of Betty’s apartment. Her front door is ajar, so there’s a draft that makes the room cold, and Veronica’s squeezing her a bit too tightly, but in that moment, Betty’s never felt more comfortable and content. In reality, it’s everything short of perfect, but to her, it is. 

Toni pulls away first, followed by Jughead and Betty. She thinks Veronica would’ve stayed there all evening, and honestly, she wouldn’t have blamed her for wanting to, but Toni’s wandering off and asking about wine, so they all quickly trail behind her. 

“Is red okay?” Betty asks, hovering in the kitchen. Jughead’s next to her now, and the other two have made themselves at home on her sofa. 

“I’ll have anything,” Toni replies, straining her neck to look over to the kitchen. 

Veronica squeals just because she’s Veronica Lodge. “I brought rum, too!” 

“We’ll start with wine,” Betty decides. 

Jughead watches as the situation unfolds. “Hey, rum can be for when the games inevitably get more interesting.”

“I like your thinking, Jones,” says Veronica, eyeing him up and down.

Toni says something after that, so Betty allows her friends to chat amongst themselves while sorting out the drinks. As she goes to open the cupboard, a hand stops her. It’s Jughead’s, of course, so she pauses and turns to look at him.

“Hey,” she says quietly, smiling.

“You okay?” He brings her hand down from the cupboard, threading their fingers together. 

She nods. “Yeah, I’m really happy, Jug.”

Grinning, he squeezes her hand as a sign of comfort, _love_. “Me too, Betty.”

She leans in and presses a quick kiss against his lips. Well, it was meant to be quick. His spare hand moves to pull her closer and he sighs into the kiss. Both of them completely forget about the presence of their friends, oblivious of their watchful eye until Toni wolf whistles and Veronica starts clapping. 

“Get a room,” Toni yells through a laugh. 

They pull back, Betty’s face covered in a deep blush while Jughead just smirks. She buries herself in his shoulder, groaning. 

“We wouldn’t mind, B, but we _are_ waiting for wine here,” Veronica giggles.

Betty reluctantly removes her head from Jughead, looking up at him with a shy smile. He smiles back, and leans over to open the cupboard. He picks out two random mugs while Betty grabs the two mugs her and Jughead have unofficially claimed at theirs. Matching ones, because they’re _that_ couple in every way. One is lilac and one is pale blue, both covered in tiny cats that look like Caramel. They’re her favorites now. 

She gets the bottle out the fridge after that, following Jughead over to the living area. He sets down the mugs, making sure he and Betty end up with _their_ mugs, and she fills them up, almost finishing the whole bottle just on the four of them. Sitting on the floor, Jughead sits next to her, bumping their knees together softly, making Betty giggle under her breath. 

They cheers, then - _to Jughead,_ says Veronica - mugs clinking loudly before they all take sips almost simultaneously. They chat mindlessly, about their respective jobs, about Veronica’s new house, about Jughead’s birthday, laughing and joking as they go. It’s enjoyable, Betty thinks, even more so with the buzz of wine that starts to run through her veins, to have her friends get along so well despite their differences. 

At some point during Veronica’s spiel about maple syrup, Jughead brings a couple of snack bowls over, placing a bowl of popcorn on the table and hoarding a bowl of crisps. Betty mumbles something about his _insatiable appetite_ , and all that earns her is a raise of a single eyebrow and a smirk, an interaction between them that is luckily unnoticed by their friends. 

Eventually, they do get round to playing games, like planned. Jughead all but insists that they start with Monopoly, much to the protest of all three of them. He plays the _it’s my birthday_ card, to which Betty points out that _technically it’s not anymore_ but still lets him have his own way. 

It’s just the classic game of Monopoly that Betty owns, not that fancy card one that Veronica prefers or the High School Musical one that Toni mentions, but somehow that makes it even more competitive. Jughead plays with the hat (“For nostalgia purposes,” he says, looking at Betty with a glint in his eye); Betty the dog (Also looking at Jughead with a knowing glance); Veronica the battleship for unknown reasons; and Toni the boot (something to do with her gang days, Betty thinks). Veronica plays banker, too, which, surprisingly, everyone is okay with. She’s very good at it, but then again, she’s a Lodge. 

The game gets off to a good start for Betty and Veronica, both of them snapping up any properties they can. Toni quickly gets _bored of sucking_ \- her own words - and abandons ship to help Jughead out. Turns out, the pair of them are unstoppable. Apparently, their combined brains give them an unfair advantage and they start sweeping the board. 

After what seems like 15 years, but in reality is about 90 minutes and 2 bottles of wine, Veronica declares the game to be over, with Jughead and Toni as winners. Betty’s pleased with that, glad the game’s finished, but decidedly _not_ pleased that her boyfriend now has bragging rights. 

She grumps around for all of 5 minutes until Jughead stops bragging and tells her to pick the next game. (She knew it wouldn’t take long for him to give in to her.)

She picks a murder mystery game. ( _He_ knew she would.)

It’s an indie game Toni recommended, and her eyes light up when Betty throws the box on the table. 

“Yes! My favorite!” she cheers. “I’m gonna destroy you all.”

“Hey now,” Betty chirps. “Don’t forget I single-handedly brought down a serial killer at 17.”

Her friends all laugh, with Veronica saying, “Always play the _daughter of the black hood_ card, you go girl!”

It still feels weird to joke about something like that, something that destroyed her life. Very weird, but weird in a good way. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to being able to feel _okay_ with joking about it. Getting to this point was a long road, though, with some uncomfortable moments early on, but she’s here and she has an understanding with her closest friends that it’s okay, in fact, it’s good to joke about it. Being able to laugh about it has gotten her through many bad times. 

“Of course,” she grins, eyes scanning across the room over the faces of Veronica and Toni, who are giggling, landing on Jughead, whose eyes are watery and mouth is turned up into a huge smile. 

He pulls her closer, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Love you,” he mumbles, once again forgetting about the presence of still-giggling Veronica and Toni. 

Veronica, of course, clocks it, gasping dramatically. “Did you just say what I think you did?” 

“Oh, um,” he stammers, eyes darting between her and Betty. 

Betty answers this time, fighting back the giant smile that threatens to spread across her face. “Love you, too, Jug.”

Toni pretends to vomit. “Oh my _god_ , you two are disgustingly cute.”

“Um, B!” exclaims Veronica. “When did this happen and why didn’t you tell me?”

She chuckles, threading her fingers with Jughead’s. “Because, V, we were _distracted_.”

It’s Jughead’s turn to blush now, ducking his head away from the gaze of his friends. He picks up his drink, while Veronica claps excitedly. Betty’s eyes meet his, and she sends him a small smile. One that he returns, making her heart soar.

“As cute as you both are,” Veronica starts. “Can we _please_ play this game so we can get onto the good stuff?” She holds up the bottle of rum - a Lodge branded one - that no one had noticed before. 

They all laugh, and Betty agrees, unboxing the game onto the table. 

Playing in teams, Toni tries to get Jughead on with her after the success of Monopoly, but Veronica straight up refuses. 

“You’re with me, Toni,” she tells everyone. “So we can beat the love birds, who undoubtedly will be too distracted by each other to win.” She grins victoriously, high-fiving Toni in the process. 

Jughead shuffles around on the floor before looking her directly in the eye and saying, “You’re on, Lodge,” with a cunning smile. Betty laughs, and they start the game. 

The aim of this game is to solve the murder. Sounds simple, especially to Betty, but with only earning clues when landing on the right squares and unable to share clues within the group, it turns out to be a lot more difficult than any of them think. 

Team Betty and Jughead get off to a bad start, missing squares that earn them clues and both misreading the case. Team Toni and Veronica, on the other hand, quickly earn a stack of clues, whispering and jotting down theories out of sight of the others. 

By the halfway mark, the teams are almost neck and neck now, both running through theories faster than they get through wine. Clues accumulate on both sides as they race to the end. Before reaching the end, teams are given a chance to write down a final theory before collecting the final piece of the puzzle and working out the mystery. Their papers are placed in the middle of the board to ensure no cheating happens and the last clue is unleashed. They all stare intensely at the card, reading the final details to this mystery. 

It doesn’t take long for Veronica to sigh loudly, leaning back and saying, “How were we meant to work that out?”

Toni nods along. “That shit was impossible.” 

Betty stays quiet, moving on to the last stage of the game: uncovering their theories. She turns over Toni and Veronica’s, whose, as expected, is way off the mark, before doing the same to hers and Jughead’s. Everyone reads their theory, and somehow, it’s spot on, even with less clues than the others. 

“I thought you were a journalist, Toni,” Jughead grins. 

“It was all Veronica’s fault, I swear,” Toni groans.

Betty laughs. “Can’t say we learned from the best now, can we, Jug?” she says, eyes meeting Toni’s.

They all burst out laughing at that, simultaneously remembering that both Betty and Jughead have worked for Toni as journalists - still do in his case. 

“Don’t tell the boss, Jones,” she pleads through laughter. “I’ll never live it down!”

“I won’t,” Jughead replies before chuckling again. 

They continue giggling and laughing together while Betty boxes up the game and heads into her bedroom to put it away. Well, it’s a good excuse for her to have a moment to herself, anyway. She doesn’t need a break, as such, just a minute to collect her thoughts and feelings without anyone else watching on. She sits down on her bed, chucking the game box down on the floor, and starts thinking.

She’s happy. She’s really happy. Undoubtedly so. 

The evening is going better than she expected. Jughead seems like he’s having a good time, he gets on really well with both Toni and Veronica and they seem to like him, too. As a four, they bounce off each other amazingly well. It’s a friendship she never had when she was younger, but always wanted. It’s weird, in a way, to have that with someone _from_ her childhood, someone who was always there but never there enough. Not until now. Now, he’s the most important person in her life. Now, she has two amazing best friends, too, living away from the town that ruined her life. 

The door creaks open and Jughead peaks his head around the corner. “Hey, you okay?” he says softly. 

Oh. She must’ve been away longer than she thought. 

“Yeah.” She smiles, beckoning him in and patting the space besides her. 

He wanders in, carefully sitting next to her. “You want me to ask them to go?”

_God he’s so caring_ , she thinks, shaking her head. “No, I’m good, Jug, just needed a minute.” Her face softens. “Are _you_ okay?” 

He nods. “I’m having a great time.” 

She smiles again, momentarily forgetting that she doesn’t have to hide her feelings anymore. When she remembers, she allows her hands to move up to cup his face, leaning in to connect their lips. It’s a soft kiss, both of them aware of their waiting friends, that doesn’t last long. But it’s long enough to make Betty feel like she’s floating. She doesn’t think it’ll ever feel different to this, or she hopes it won’t. She just loves him _so_ much.

They pull apart, once again smiling at each other. She stands up first, feeling light from both the kiss and several glasses of wine, and holds out her hand. 

“C’mon,” she says. “Let’s see what Veronica wants to play now.”

He jumps up, taking her hand, and they head out of her room and back into where their friends are situated, involved in a rather heated discussion about the ethicalness of private jets. Betty’s not sure how the conversation got so serious without them, and isn’t sure she wants to be involved, so her and Jughead quietly sit down and engage in their own heated discussion about potato chip flavors until they notice their return. 

Toni’s the first to crack when Jughead mentions that he _loves_ dill pickle flavored Lay’s. She stops mid-sentence about capitalism, eyes snapping over to Jughead. “Wait, no, hold on. You actually _like_ that shit?” 

Jughead stifles a laugh. “About as much as you like private jets.” 

“We just wanted to see how long it’d take you to notice us,” Betty says. 

Veronica rolls her eyes. “We thought you two would be busy.”

“You promised rum, Lodge,” Jughead grins. “Betty and I have all night for other activities.”

For that, Betty playfully hits his leg, earning her a laugh from him, another eye roll from Veronica, and a smirk from Toni. 

“Let’s play Truth or Dare.”

Betty groans at Veronica’s words. “Nope, no dares.”

“C’mon, B! It’ll be fun!”

“No way.”

“I have a better idea,” says Jughead. “We take it in turns to choose truth questions. And we all have to answer. Funniest answers drink.”

Toni gasps. “Good one, Jones!” Her hand moves to offer him a high five, and he accepts, the clapping noise loud even over their giggles. 

So that’s what they do. A game of _truth or truth_ , in a way, fuelled by rum and laughter. Betty puts on some background music - a random Spotify playlist called _party bops_ \- while Jughead gets clean glasses for them all. Veronica pours them all a very large glass and Toni eats from a bowl of Doritos. 

Once set up, Veronica asks the first question. She pulls up a webpage on her phone, as if she’d been waiting for this for a long time. “We’ll start with an easy one,” she tells them, smiling almost conspiratorial. “What’s the last thing you searched for? No cheating!”

They all pull out their phones. Betty finds hers pretty quickly, looking up to see Veronica watching her. 

“Mine’s boring,” she says. “Vancouver weather.”

Veronica sighs defeatedly. “I thought yours would be more interesting at a time like this.”

Betty decides to ignore Veronica’s comment, elbowing Jughead to give his answer.

“Pink Floyd vinyl,” he shrugs, pocketing his phone. “For my sister.”

Veronica looks almost heartbroken at her friends’ boring answers. She looks over at Toni, in a way Betty thinks is pleading her to have a better answer. 

Of course, Toni delivers. She groans. Loudly. “Fuck you, Cheryl,” she mumbles under her breath. She turns her phone around to show the three of them, rather than reading it out loud. Eyes scan across her phone, prompting an eruption of loud laughter that lasts minutes. Toni blushes uncharacteristically, biting back a laugh.

“That’s what I was expecting from you, B,” Veronica says, a perfectly manicured fingernail coming up to dab away tears of laughter. 

“Incognito mode,” Betty says, smirking directly at Jughead, who knows _exactly_ what she’s talking about. 

“I’ll drink.” Toni sighs, still holding back a smile as she picks up her glass and takes a sip. It’ll probably help the embarrassment, too. “I’m asking the next question, though.” She pauses for a moment. “Okay, got one. When was the last time you had sex?”

Betty and Jughead look at each other, then immediately back at their friends. 

“Spill the details.”

She risks a glance back at Jughead, who has busied himself with pretzels. Catching his eye, she silently asks for his approval. She gets it in the form of a very small nod, so looks back to the others who are awaiting her response. “About 10 minutes before you arrived,” she tells them, allowing a sound of pride to seep into her voice. 

Veronica blinks disbelievingly. “I expected recent but not _that_ recent.”

Betty smirks, shrugging slightly, while Jughead says, “Says the person who thought we were fucking while you two were out here.”

“I knew Betty wouldn’t actually do that, but maybe you’ve changed her.”

An uncontrollable blush spreads across her face. She leans into him, whispering, “Maybe I’ve stolen your _insatiable appetite_ ,” without their friends hearing. 

He raises an eyebrow at her, smirk plastered across his face. “Is that so?”

Unfortunately, Toni’s voice drags them out of their little bubble. “What about you, Ronnie?”

“It’s been months!” she whines, throwing her hands up in the air. “It’s been, like, _eight_ months since Reggie.”

Biting her lip to suppress a giggle, Betty tries to play the sympathetic friend. “Oh, V, we’ll have to find you someone here when you move.”

She tries, she really tries, but when Toni bursts out laughing, she can’t help but join in. Jughead does, too, and eventually, so does Veronica. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll drink,” she says once they stop, picking up her glass and taking a longer-than-necessary sip of rum. 

The game continues on like that into the early hours of the morning. Drinks flow alongside personal questions and even more personal answers, with both Toni and Veronica targeting Betty and Jughead’s newfound relationship and using the questions to get details. Both of them laugh it off, giving just enough to satisfy them.

Betty gets through the game with fewer sips than she thought. She’s pleased, though, as she wants to be sober enough to give her boyfriend even more reason to enjoy this night. She’s also noticed that his sips are often small or non-existence, too, so she thinks they’re on the same wavelength about how to end the night. 

Just before 2 am, Veronica deems herself done for the night. She calls a cab for her and Toni to share and Betty only feels slightly guilty about not offering for them to stay. They say goodbye in a similar fashion to how they said hello. Promises of doing it again soon feel _real_ with Veronica’s now-imminent move to the city. 

Betty and Jughead thank them for coming, his arm casually resting over her shoulders as they wave them off from the front door. 

“See you soon!” Veronica whisper-shouts, Toni dragging her by the arm in an attempt to move her towards the elevator. 

Toni’s parting words, well, word, is a mouthed _enjoy_ as she finally forces Veronica through the door. 

An eye roll and final wave from Betty is followed by her quickly and quietly closing the door behind them. She doesn’t waste any more time, pushing Jughead against the wall beside them, pressing her lips against his in a rough, heated kiss. She hears him gasp, so she pulls away.

“Hey, why’d you stop?” he whines, pulling her closer and wiggling his hips against hers. Another whine comes from the back of his throat at his own actions. He sounds so child-like while doing something so distinctly un-child-like. 

“Because, Jughead,” she says with a smirk, stepping back and looking him up and down. “We cannot _fuck_ by the front door.” 

He groans. “Why not?”

She rolls her eyes, holding out her hand. “Come on.”

Very enthusiastically, he grabs hold of it and follows her to her room. He only stops her once to push her against her bedroom door, instead of opening it, so he can kiss her again. When he starts to trail kisses down the side of her neck, she nudges him away from her and practically drags him through the door. 

Once inside, they tumble onto her bed and she makes quick work of climbing on top of him. More kisses are shared and clothes are shed until there are no barriers between them anymore. 

Afterwards, sleepy-eyed, they brush their teeth together, side by side in a haze of domestic bliss. Back in bed, they share soft kisses and whispered _I love you_ ’s until falling asleep in her favorite position: wrapped up in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! how are you? i hope you're well.
> 
> what did you think of this chapter? i said this last time but i -think- this is my favorite chapter of the whole fic :') 
> 
> and if you watched, what did you think of the episode? i'm definitely feeling better about the whole b*rchie/bughead situation now (although i'm sure it'll come back). still gonna ignore that it happened though. 
> 
> anyway, thank you for reading. i love reading your comments. they really motivate me to write more, and i appreciate every single one of them. thank you all :))
> 
> stay safe everyone. until next time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in an airport again fills them with something familiar. 
> 
> or, when the end meets the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are. the end~

Betty and Jughead spend a lot more time together after his birthday weekend. Neither wants to be alone or away from the other, so more nights than not, Jughead will arrive at her apartment after work. He brings takeout or ingredients and extra cat treats for Caramel, who has graciously accepted his presence. 

Their early relationship desire for one another does not subside, even after months have passed since their fateful meeting at the airport. The honeymoon phase, as Veronica so graciously reminds them, won’t last forever, yet it feels like it will. Betty can imagine them together, years down the line, living together. Maybe here, or maybe in a townhouse further out of the city. With Caramel and a puppy of their own. Maybe it’s too soon or maybe it’s real. 

So in the two weeks after his birthday and before their trip, their lives become intertwined. She’d thought her friends would have more to say about it, but in reality, they’re both incredibly supportive. Of course, Toni teases him relentlessly at work and often turns up at her apartment with him. Betty doesn’t mind, and neither does Jughead, both too happy to care. 

The weeks fly by, and without either of them realizing, it’s just two days before they’re due to fly to Vancouver. They’re at her apartment, cuddled up under a blanket, when it comes up in conversation. 

“Jug?”

He hums absentmindedly.

“Are you going home tomorrow?”

He looks over at her now, eyes moving off the TV, brows furrowing in confusion. “Uh, not unless you want me to?”

“No!” she reassures him quickly. “Of course not.” She stretches over, leaning up to kiss him just to ensure he knows she’s certain. Feeling him smile into it, she almost forgets what she was going to say. 

When they part, he looks up at her with adoration in his eyes. “I’m glad you don’t want me to go,” he says with a slight giggle. 

“I definitely don’t,” she smirks, running her fingertips down the front of his shirt. “But, uh, what about packing?”

“Oh. Fuck.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I guess I’ll pop home after work to grab a few things.”

She nods, noticing his reluctance to go back to his own apartment. It’s become more apparent over the past couple of weeks, since he’s been spending more time at hers. She doesn’t mind at all, enjoying seeing items of his pop up in her space. A toothbrush, his shower gel, more ‘S’ shirts. But she does wonder if there’s a reason she’s missing.

“Will you come with me?” he says, voice small, eyes looking down. 

She takes his hand in hers. “Of course, Jug, but… what’s wrong?”

He sighs. “Nothing, really. My apartment is just lonely and going back there reminds me of how I felt when I first moved here.”

Her heart breaks for him. Hell, she experienced something similar when she first moved here, something she’s not sure she would’ve gotten through if it weren’t for Toni. 

She’s tentative when she asks him about the early days. And he’s tentative when he answers. But he does, telling her the truth about what happened. He explained how college wasn’t really his thing. He never fit in properly and thought that moving to Seattle would change that. It didn’t, not at first. He landed the job with Toni, though, and things started to turn around. 

That day at the airport, he’d just been back to Riverdale for the first time since he’d left. He told her that he’d gone back to see if he’d made a mistake leaving, but it made him realize that moving away was the best thing for him. So he headed to the airport and back to his new home. That day changed everything for him, more than she’d realized before. 

When tears start forming in his eyes, she hugs him tightly, telling him that she loves him more than anything. He tells her that she’s the best thing that ever happened to him and he presses his lips against her in a kiss full of intent.

–

The following day, Betty meets Jughead outside his office after work. He walks out with Toni, who throws her arms around Betty. 

“Don’t enjoy Vancouver too much,” she says to Jughead. “I don’t want you dragging my best friend away.”

Betty laughs. “Don’t worry, Toni. Seattle is home for both of us.”

Jughead smiles fondly at her, nodding his agreement. 

“As it will for Veronica soon, so I hear?” Toni says, casually leaning against the wall. 

“Yes!” Betty grins. “She says she’ll be here before the end of the year.”

The trio chat for a few minutes about the imminent arrival of Veronica, as well as the ins and outs of each of their current projects at work. Toni promises Jughead that she won’t make too much progress while he’s gone, to which he replies with a sarcastic comment about being a post-grad journalist. 

Toni leaves after that, heading off in the opposite direction to meet with Cheryl. 

“You ready to do this?” Betty asks as if they’re about to enter a dragon’s lair. She offers her hand, which he takes with a smile.

“With the risk of being too much, anything feels possible with you by my side.” 

She blushes at that, leaning up to kiss him quickly in response, while all of her words escape her.

They walk to his apartment in relative silence, hands clasped together as they both end up lost in thought. The journey is about 20 minutes, yet in reality, it seems to fly by and they’re soon arriving at the building she’s only seen in the darkness of the middle of the night. 

He fishes his keys out of his pocket, and leads her into the lobby. Still no words are said out loud as they wait for the elevator. Once it comes, they walk inside and he presses for floor four. Then, she takes it upon herself to try and create some happier memories for him in this building, starting with here. 

Letting go of his hand, she cups his face, pulling him down into a meaningful kiss. He reciprocates straight away, his hands finding their way to rest on her waist. 

“What’s this all about?” he mumbles, leaning back as the elevator signals floor one. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Better memories,” she says by way of an explanation, quickly reconnecting their lips when the doors stay closed. 

Pressing her weight into him, she distracts him enough that they barely notice when they reach his floor. She carries on kissing him, doing that thing with her tongue she _knows_ he loves, when the doors open. A noise from the corridor splits them up just before Jughead’s neighbor comes into view. 

Taking her hand, he leads her past his neighbor, nodding a _hello_ so they don’t have to stop for conversation. Once at his door, she distracts him again as he tries to unlock it. He drops his keys with a frustrated groan and it takes him another two tries until they _finally_ make it inside. 

He’d barely closed the front door when she starts unbuttoning his smart work shirt, lips making their way across his jaw. “Fuck, Betty,” he mutters.

She freezes, looking up at him with lustful eyes. “Do you want to stop?”

He shakes his head almost aggressively. “No. God, no.” Usually, she’d take that as a sign to go ahead, but this time she thinks he sounds hesitant. She removes her hand from its frozen position on his button and takes his hand in hers. “What’s wrong, Jug?” 

“Nothing.” His face softens and he squeezes her hand. “I just don’t want you missing the grand tour.”

She giggles at that. “I only care about the bedroom,” she tells him with a wiggle of her eyebrows. 

He points behind her. “That door,” he says, voice low and breathy. “Please don’t stop.”

Nodding her acceptance, she presses her lips back against his in a hungry kiss. Her hands get back to her distraction tactic, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. His hands snake their way around to her back, pulling her even closer against his body. 

She groans against his lips in response, kissing him with everything she’s got. 

A moment later, he pulls back for air. “Betty,” he says, panting. “Bedroom.”

As she steps back, they both whine at the loss of contact, but she uses the opportunity to compose herself slightly. New surroundings would usually bother her, yet right now, she’s so full of want that she can’t even take them in. She wants to take them in, she wants to remember everything about this moment but then Jughead grabs her hand and pulls her through the door he pointed out just minutes earlier. The door she can’t even remember the color of. Not that it matters, she realizes, as he pushes her up against it. 

He begins trailing kisses down her jaw and down her neck and she thinks _fuck composure_. 

She’s not sure how it happens, but they end up on his bed with far less clothes on. They must be scattered around the room, and something in the back of her mind stupidly hopes her dress doesn’t get crumpled. Really, she doesn’t care what happens to her dress. All she cares about is getting to have her way with him.

And she does. Climbing on top of him, she kisses down the length of his body until the noises he makes suggest he’s forgotten the reason he didn’t want to return here. 

(They make better memories. _Lots_ of them.)

–

Later, she lays covered only by the duvet she heart heartedly pulled over herself, watching as he stuffs various items of clothing into an overnight bag. He grabs three t-shirts - ‘S’ ones, of course - including her favorite burgundy colored one that disappeared from her apartment a few days previous, a handful of underwear, and a few pairs of socks.

“That’s all I need, right?” he asks with a shrug.

They’re only going for three nights and four days - Friday to Monday - so really, yes, that’s probably enough. He’s just forgetting toiletries, plus his camera equipment. Oh, and a jacket. So she laughs. 

“Are you taking a jacket?”

He nods.

“Toiletries?” 

“Oh, yeah. I’ll grab my washbag.” He darts out of the room, and noises of fumbling around make their way through his apartment. He comes back, small black bag in hand. “Got ‘em.”

“Camera equipment?” 

He points to a bag on the floor. 

“I think you’re good.” She sits up, holding the duvet against her. “Are you coming to mine tonight?”

Stepping towards her, his hand coming up to caress her chin as he presses a soft kiss to her lips. “Yeah. Early start, huh?”

“Oh yeah.” She smiles, leaning into his touch, before leaning over to pick up her underwear. “Pass me my dress?”

He does, without question. It isn’t crumpled, but it definitely looks worn. Not that she really minds - she only has to wear it for the short journey from his apartment to hers. She dresses in front of him, not caring about his gaze. They’ve passed the point of shyness now. She just feels comfortable with him and that’s it. No need for anything else.

“Do you think we succeeded in making better memories?” she asks, running her fingers through her knotted hair. 

“Definitely,” he grins. “But it might have backfired.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Why’s that?”

“Because now I never want to leave you.”

“And you did before?”

He laughs. “Well, no.”

“Come here.”

With no hesitation, he strides towards her, still sitting on the bed, and joins her. He kisses her firmly and she smiles into it. 

“I love you,” she says.

“I love you, too,” he replies, standing up and holding his hand out. “Now let’s get you home and packed.” 

–

The aggressive beeping of her alarm wakes them up in the middle of the night. Well, not quite the middle of the night. It’s 4 am. Okay, that _is_ the middle of the night. 

Betty fumbles around to silence it while Jughead groans loudly. His arm is flung across her waist, his grip tightening around her when she tries to move. 

“Jug,” she mumbles, voice thick with sleep. “We need to get up.”

“Five more minutes,” he whines in a child-like manner. 

She wriggles out of his grip, dragging herself out of bed. She pulls the curtains, allowing for the few lights of the city still on at this time to flow into the room. It doesn’t make much difference, but it makes enough difference to be too bright for Jughead, who buries his head under the duvet, groaning again. 

A two-step plan to make Jughead get up pops into her mind. 

Step one. She pulls the duvet off of him. She has to tug slightly to get it out of his death grip, but succeeds with only a small amount of effort. 

That makes him stir, clumsily rolling over onto his back and rubbing his eyes harshly. He doesn’t make any effort to get up, though, so she puts step two into action. 

“Hey, Jug?” she calls in a voice she knows is far too cheery and loud for this time. 

All she gets in response is _another_ groan and half-open eyes blinking rapidly to try and stay open. 

“If you get up now, we have enough time to shower together.” She wanders out the room and towards the bathroom. “You know where to find me!” she calls through the door. 

The noise of him stumbling out of bed and practically running through her apartment gives her great satisfaction. (But not as much as he gives her.)

–

Betty drives to the airport because that’s what she prefers to do. It’s one of the only times she actually uses her 10 year old Ford. She should sell it, really, but she’s attached. So it stays for airport trips. 

Jughead sits in the passenger seat as he did all those months ago. It was a similar time then, too. Except she was taking him home before going back to hers alone. A lot has changed since then. A lot of change, all definitely for the better. 

Stopped at a red light, she glances over at Jughead. Her boyfriend. He’s fast asleep, blissfully unaware of everything around him. He looks adorable. So peaceful and content. She smiles to herself, turning her attention back to the road. 

She pulls into the airport parking lot with two and a quarter hours left before their flight. She learned from the last time, making sure she left plenty of time to get to the airport, even if it is just 5:30 am and there’s practically no traffic on the roads. 

Parking the car, she takes a deep breath, feeling almost giddy with excitement. She gently shakes Jughead awake, telling him they’ve arrived.

“Hey,” he whispers, running his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for sleeping again.”

She smiles softly. “It’s okay. You ready for this?”

He nods, as she stifles a yawn. “Let’s get you coffee,” he giggles.

The check-in process is quick and easy, as expected for this time of the morning. They wander through security, with only a slight problem when Jughead leaves his belt on and sets off the metal detector. It’s quickly rectified, leaving Betty laughing at him from the sidelines. 

No arrests and no more problems later, they end up in the main part of the terminal with just over an hour to kill before their flight boards. And of course, Jughead decides he’s hungry. 

They end up at a diner-style restaurant tucked away in a quiet corner. Being the only two in there, the service is super fast and in no time at all, they’re served delicious looking food. Jughead has a stack of pancakes - his favorite - and Betty has waffles - something different for a change. 

“Being at an airport made me realize something,” he says between mouthfuls of food. 

She’s in the middle of a gulp of overpriced but completely worth it coffee, so her reply is slightly delayed. “What’s that?” 

“You never asked for my full name.”

His answer brings a smile to her face, memories of the moment he’s talking about flashing through her mind. A constant reminder lives on her phone, his name still as _Jughead (Forsythe)_. He’s right, though. She never did ask him for the whole thing. If she’s being honest, she forgot about it until now. It’s not like it’d change anything, but maybe it’d be nice to know. 

“Do I get it yet?” she asks, smile turning into a slight smirk. 

With his fingers, he picks up a piece of crispy bacon from the side of his plate and bites off the end. His eyes glisten under the airport spotlights as he says, “I think so.”

She rolls her eyes fondly. “Hit me.”

He smirks and she leans across the table to _actually_ hit him. Gently, of course, and with a giggle. He manages to catch her hand, so he brings it up to his lips, kissing it instead. 

“Drumroll, please,” he says, letting go of her hand.

Her hands clap against the table, drawing the attention of a waiter, who is quick to look away when he notices them laughing. 

“Okay, okay.” He signals for her to stop and takes a deep breath. “Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third.” 

“Wait, _what?”_ She blinks in surprise, letting out a disbelieving laugh. “The _third?”_

He nods, grinning at her reaction. “Is it a deal-breaker?” 

She tilts her head in contemplation. “Yes,” she says in complete seriousness. 

“Betty Cooper,” he gasps. “Here I was thinking what we had was real.”

“I’m only with you for your name.”

He’s the one to roll his eyes this time. “Eat up, Cooper. We’ve got a game to play.” 

Twenty minutes later, Betty finds herself wandering around Seattle airport’s main terminal in an attempt to find a coffee shop that neither of them have been to before. She walks with her fingers interlocked with Jughead’s and a smile plastered on her face, tiredness of the early hours forgotten and replaced with excitement. 

It’s significantly easier to find somewhere new in Seattle airport than it is at New York’s JFK. She’s traveled less since being settled here, yet in NYC, travel was her ticket, quite literally, out of the area for a week or so. Now, Seattle feels more like home than Riverdale or NYC ever did, so leaving is not at the top of her priorities. 

After the stroke of serendipity at JFK airport led to such amazing changes, Betty feels lucky to be here today. It doesn’t matter where she goes, she realizes, as long as she has Jughead and as long as her two best friends stay by her side. 

She’s led into an unfamiliar coffee shop by Jughead. She orders a flat white, mainly because that’s what she’d been drinking that day when he’d said her name from behind. They sit side by side overlooking the runway and she watches as a plane takes off. She looks around, a smile on her face. Her eyes fall on him, her heart bursting with affection. 

“I love you,” she says with more certainty than ever before.

“I love you, too,” he replies, a distinct softness in his eyes. He bumps her shoulder with his, grin on his face as he points to her cup. “Look.”

She does, surprised to see a single word written in his scrawly handwriting. 

_Fate._

_~fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all. wow. we made it. 17 chapters later and this fic is finished. i can't quite believe it tbh. i worked on this for so long and i'm immensely happy with how it turned out. i never planned on it being so long but i'm glad it ended up like this :')
> 
> so i know i said this is the end, and it is. but... i really want to write an epilogue. is that something anyone would like to read? i have a few ideas on how that would go so when inspiration strikes, i think i will write it. so maybe look out for that some time in the near(ish) future.
> 
> anyway, i just want to say thank you to everyone who has read this story of mine. i was worried about uploading it and the response has been amazing. so thank you all so much for reading and leaving kudos.
> 
> an even bigger thank you to those who have left comments. i love hearing your thoughts and ao3 emails make me very happy. 
> 
> again- thank you. i hope you found some joy in reading this little universe.
> 
> i hope to be back with that epilogue soon. if not, i have a few other shorter pieces on the go.
> 
> and in the meantime- i hope you're well. stay safe.
> 
> edit: okay so i did plan on writing an epilogue but it just hasn't been going well. i hope one day i'll get it finished, but no promises. sorry people :(

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this first chapter! keep an eye out for future updates - i am thinking of uploading the second chapter this week and regularly after that. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading. as always, kudos are greatly appreciated as are comments. i'd love to discuss this little world with you. thank you all :')


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